


For Love and Country

by RelentlassHuggerSquad



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Charlynch brotp, Gen, Olympics AU, Soccer AU, Sports Rivals, Star-crossed, Women's Professional Soccer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2020-04-24 09:47:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 29,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19170772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RelentlassHuggerSquad/pseuds/RelentlassHuggerSquad
Summary: Becky Lynch is the Captain of the Irish Women's National Soccer Team, seeking to lead her team to victory in the 2020 Olympics.  She wants to focus on winning the Gold, but being at the competition puts her on a collision course with the American Captains. Seth Rollins captains the men's side and is totally taken with Becky. Charlotte Flair captains the Women's side of the US Team, and is struggling to find her legacy under the harsh international lights.  Charlotte isn't thrilled when her international rival Becky, keeps attracting the attention of her ex-boyfriend Seth. Becky just wants to find glory and score some goals, and she isn't sure that includes making time for a guy like Seth or a potential friendship with Charlotte. Can Becky and Charlotte put aside their own differences to lead their club team to victory?Featuring: The wrestlers as soccer players from their own countries national teams. You'll never know just who you'll run into.(Summary will be updated as I go. The story is on hiatus as of 4/9/20)





	1. Chapter 1

Becky Lynch had always described her love of European football as a love affair for the ages. Being from Ireland she had grown up idolizing the Women’s National Team of Ireland, longing to one day play for them. It had been a long journey, but at twenty-three she had become one of the best pure strikers in the World. She was the face of Women’s soccer in Ireland, had even earned the Captain’s armband. 

 

She had brought her love of the beautiful game and elevated Ireland’s position on the global stage. Sadly they hadn’t won the World Cup, they had won a couple of games in the group stage, but had lost out in the semi-finals, when they were eliminated by Australia. It didn’t matter to Becky though, she had been disappointed by their loss, but for the first time, she felt like they were making progress. 

 

Learning from her mistakes from the World Cup, Becky had led her team in qualifying and had managed to secure them a spot at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. She wanted nothing more than to bring honor to the crest on her shirt. She loved playing for her fans, who loved her in return. In the European Leagues, her fans had dubbed her ‘The Irish Lass Kicker’. Finn Balor who captained the Irish Men’s National Team had affectionately dubbed her ‘The Man’ because he wagered that she could beat anybody on any national team. 

 

Becky felt like she was on top of the world like nothing could bring her down. Not even the fact that she was now having to do media days and press conferences instead of training with the rest of her team. 

 

Finn who was like an older brother to Becky, as well as a mentor on and off the pitch had been selected to accompany her to the media day. The reporters would be interested in him since he was Ireland’s captain, but he was also there to keep Becky on track. Everybody that knew Becky, knew she had a bit of a mouth on her, often times coming across as controversial. She was cocky, but her accolades on the pitch spoke for themselves. 

 

She had won four European titles with Olympique Lyonnais in France. Becky had been voted Footballer of the Year for Ireland, three years in a row, and due to her performance in the Women’s World Cup was up for FIFA Women’s Player of the Year. Becky was well scouted and there was a lot of interest in her in the different leagues, but Becky was happy. 

 

Her love of football was as strong as ever as she strolled into the media center. She had left Olympic Village, with Finn not that far behind her. Teams were still arriving and there were a few left before the opening ceremony, but Becky was trying to maintain her focus. 

 

“You know what you’re going to say?” Finn asked as he caught up with Becky, falling into step with her. 

 

“I figure they’ll ask me about the World Cup and how the Olympics are going to be different. They’ll ask me what I think about Ireland’s chances and if we’re worried about running into Australia.” Becky shrugged, she didn’t fear Australia or any of the other teams. 

 

Finn could see the fire in Becky’s eyes, the passion for the game that burned deep inside of her. “What will you say in response?” 

 

“I’ll say that Ireland won’t miss their shot again. We’re going for that Gold Medal, we want redemption. If Australia crosses our path in the competition, they better be ready.” Becky said, folding her arms across her chest. 

 

Finn lightly shoved her shoulder and rolled his eyes. “You can be sassy all you want Lass, but remember what country you are representing. You want redemption for your team, but you want to bring honor to Ireland.” 

 

Becky cracked a hint of a smile and shoved him back. “Don’t worry Finn, I got this.” She promised, winking at him. It was touching that he worried so much about her, but Becky knew she could bring home the gold. She trusted her teammates more than she even trusted herself. 

 

Walking over to grab a water bottle and a snack from the concession table set up for the athletes, she was about to reach for one of the last cold bottles of red Gatorade when her hand collided with somebody else’s. 

 

Becky recoiled and glanced up to see a familiar face looking down at her. It took her a second to place the other soccer player, but the American Flag patch on his shirt gave him away. Standing in front of Becky was the USA Captain for the men’s side, Seth Rollins. Other players affectionately referred to him as the architect since he had an insane ability to play-make, but Becky had never actually met him in person before. 

 

Seth gave her a curious glance but then nodded to the Gatorade. “It’s all you, you can have it.” He offered, giving a small smile. 

 

Becky studied him and then shook her head. Seth was handsome, in his own way, she decided. He had his hair tied back in a pony-tail and a sort of crooked smile she had seen many fan girls lose their mind over. Yet at the same time, he seemed just like all the other soccer players, nothing that remarkable about him. 

 

“I’ll take the blue one, it’s not a big deal,” Becky said.

 

Rollins looked confused, watching as Becky took the other drink and started to leave. “Wait, I am sorry. I didn’t introduce myself, I’m Seth Rollins.” He said holding out a hand. 

 

Becky rolled her eyes and took in a deep breath. She was used to being hit on by male athletes, who expected her to drop everything and worship at their feet. She could see Finn watching her, so she schooled her expression into a more neutral look and turned back to Seth. 

 

“I know who you are Rollins. Becky Lynch.” She said shaking his hand politely but then nodded in Finn’s direction. “I have to go, my boyfriend is waiting for me.” She lied, but she hoped Seth wouldn’t know she was lying. She then turned away from him again and walked over to Finn, completely missing the crestfallen look on Seth’s face. 

 

“What did you say to him?” Finn asked curiously. 

 

Becky groaned. “He was trying to hit on me I think, so I told him you were my boyfriend.” 

 

Finn actually looked disgusted and wrinkled his nose. “Eww Bex, that’s gross Lass. I love you but I wouldn’t date you if you were the last woman on Earth. You would have a better chance with the Architect. Rollins isn’t that bad from what I’ve heard” 

 

Becky punched him in the arm, trying not to blush. “Shut up Fergal.” She muttered, using his birth name. “Come on, I have reporters to play nice with. I don’t want to deal with some egotistical American soccer player who isn’t even talented enough to lace up my cleats.”

 

\---

“Ohh did you guys see the news? Looks like Rollins has a new lady.” Carmella announced to the rest of her teammates on the USA’s soccer team bus. The girls had just arrived back at Olympic Village and like normal Carmella’s first action was to check her social media. 

 

Charlotte Flair sat at the front of the bus, as Team Captain she was supposed to be dignified, but Carmella’s words had struck a nerve. Methodically Charlotte turned around in her seat, pinning Carmella with a death glare. 

 

“What are you talking about?” Charlotte asked through clenched teeth. After their last break-up, Charlotte had forbidden the team from talking about Seth Rollins. It was a taboo subject, but apparently, Carmella had forgotten. 

 

The rest of their teammates had not forgotten the rules, however, and while some slunk off the bus to avoid Charlotte’s impending wrath, a few stayed seated. They were all curious as to how ‘The Queen’ was going to discipline Carmella. 

 

“Come on Charlie, ‘Mella didn’t mean to. You know how she is sometimes.” Bayley, who played in the midfield, tried to reason with Charlotte. Bayley was a veteran of the team, who liked to take the younger players under her wing. 

 

Charlotte’s attention was still honed in on her fellow forward, her gaze searching Carmella’s face. “Go on ‘Mella, why don’t you tell me what the article says about Seth.” Charlotte challenged.

 

Carmella glanced at Bayley, before looking to Charlotte. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been reading the gossip sites.”

 

“You’re right, you shouldn’t have. Go take two laps around the village, don’t let me catch you on your phone again, unless it’s for business. We’re here to win a medal, not a popularity contest.” Charlotte warned, before dismissing Carmella. 

 

Bayley hung back, waiting until the rest of the team had gotten off the bus before she approached Charlotte. They had played on the same team for a long time, Bayley was probably one of the few people who could get away with being brutally honest with Charlotte. There was a level of trust, a bond that not many other people understood. 

 

“You’re not over him are you?” Bayley asked quietly. “It’s been nine months Char,”

 

Scoffing, Charlotte rolled her eyes. “I know how long it has been Bayley. Of course, I am over him. I’m Charlotte Flair, the face of the United States Women’s National Team. I score twice as many goals as Seth does, I am so over him.” 

 

“If you’re over him, then you shouldn’t be upset if he is seen with somebody else. I’ll catch you later Charlie” Bayley’s words were soft, she was trying to gently guide Charlotte to her own realization. She knew better than to push her friend too hard, Charlotte could be grouchy and prickly when she wanted. 

 

Once Charlotte was finally alone, all by herself she pulled out her own phone. Only hesitating briefly, she searched for Seth’s name. Unsurprisingly a bunch of articles about the Olympics came up, but the one that caught her attention was a candid picture of Seth Rollins, holding the hand of Irish Women’s Captain Becky Lynch. Almost immediately Charlotte’s blood began to boil.

 

Both Becky and Charlotte had exploded onto the National Team circuit around the same time. While Charlotte was winning accolades in the USA and American leagues, Becky had been her equal over in Europe. Charlotte had never been able to escape the comparisons, and if Becky was now dating Charlotte’s ex, it was only going to get worse. 

 

Furiously slamming her phone down, Charlotte shot to her feet. There was no way she was going to let the issue stand. She was going to find Seth and demand that he stop interacting with Becky. Being at the Olympics wasn’t the time of distractions and Charlotte wasn’t about to allow Becky or Finn to overshadow her road to success. 

\---

 

“If you keep staring like that, you’re going to freak her out man.” Roman Reigns muttered as he approached Seth from behind. 

 

Seth didn’t tear his eyes away from Becky Lynch, he wasn’t sure he could. He had always been a fan of her style of play, she was a creative player and he appreciated her skill. Seeing her in person, however, had him feeling like he had been hit by a tidal wave. As silly as it seemed she had taken his breath away and then had snubbed him almost rudely. 

 

Sure Seth had girls and guys who would fall at his feet, but there was something about Becky. He had witnessed her passion for the game, he had watched her at the World Cup, it had captivated him. His girlfriend at the time Charlotte hadn’t appreciated the fact that Seth kept talking about the Ireland games. 

 

Roman frowned and clamped a hand on Seth’s shoulder. “Leave her alone man, no good will come of you being all starry-eyed over Becky Lynch,” Roman warned. It made him sick to think of the mess Seth had been in, during the break up with Charlotte. “Promise me you won’t go down that road again. Focus on the games, let’s win a medal!” 

 

“I just want to talk to her.” Seth protested, thinking that maybe he had said the wrong thing. He didn’t know why Becky had been so quick to brush him off, but he wanted a fair chance. “She says she is dating Finn, but I though Balor was dating that ESPN anchor or something.” 

 

Groaning and this time pulling Seth away, Roman gave his friend a little shake. “Leave. Her. Alone. Whether or not she is dating Finn, I don’t think she’s interested. No means no.” 

 

“You’re right, no means no.” Seth despite his feelings wasn’t going to pursue Becky if she wasn’t interested in him. He felt a strong pull towards her, but he wasn’t about to try and force his feelings onto her. 

 

“Why don’t we go find the rest of the guys and you all can take some free kicks. I want to practice my saves.” Roman said, trying to distract Seth. The duo had been friends since the college days. Seth had been a world-class striker back then, and Roman a top-notch keeper. 

 

“Yeah let’s get out of here. I think the rest of the guys are finishing up their media for the day.” Seth stole one last glance over his shoulder at Becky, before he followed Roman outside to meet up with the rest of their team.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get some more background on Charlotte/Seth. Seth and Becky have an interesting exchange.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow so I really didn't expect anybody to care about this story, but seriously thank you for all the kudos and views. You all are the best. Anybody else watching the Women's World Cup?

It had taken Charlotte a good solid hour to find Seth, but when she found him practicing with his teammates on the pitch, she was still furious. She had been stewing in her rage, just thinking about him with Becky Lynch had her wanting to undo several years of anger management. 

 

“Heads up,” Roman called to Seth, pointing to where Charlotte was making a beeline towards him. The tall blonde amazon-like soccer player looked ready to go to war.

 

Seth audibly groaned, rolling his eyes as he turned to look at Charlotte. “Something I can help you with Flair.” 

 

“You can cut the crap and tell me why you’re seeing Becky Lynch,” Charlotte demanded, folding her arms over her chest. 

 

“I’m not seeing Becky Lynch and even if I was, it’s none of your business.” Seth knew better than to play into Charlotte’s little game, but he couldn’t help himself. There had been a time when he honestly loved her, but they had grown apart. Neither of them had wanted to admit it and their relationship had turned toxic with them emotionally sniping at each other all the time. 

 

Charlotte didn't look like she believed him, but slowly arched a brow. "It is my business if you and the little Irish Shirley Temple distract the team from winning." 

 

Seth's eyes narrowed and he scoffed. "You are a real piece of work you know that? You are the one who broke up with me." Seth pointed out. 

 

"Because you clearly were into somebody else. Becky and her stupid team were all you could talk about at the World Cup. I may be blonde but I'm not stupid Seth." Charlotte shoved Seth hard, causing him to stumble back. "Go on admit it, you probably were sleeping with her on the side." 

 

Seth was angry but all at once his anger evaporating as he watched Charlotte. He could see the pain in her eyes, he knew enough about her that he could see past her lashing out. "Charlie I never cheated on you, you know I would do that. Things weren't great between us at the end, but I would never cheat on you. We grew apart, you know it as well as I do." Seth's voice was soft now, he was trying to reason with her. 

 

Charlotte felt tears starting to well and didn't want to allow Seth or his teammates to see her cry. "Stay away from Lynch." She muttered, before walking away. 

 

Seth started to go after her, but Roman grabbed him by the shoulder. "Let me do it," Roman said, before jogging after Charlotte. 

 

"I don't need an escort back to my room," Charlotte grumbled as Roman caught up to her and fell in step. 

 

Roman gave her an easy smile. "Okay if not an escort how about a friend. I just want to make sure you get back safe." 

 

Charlotte stole a glance at him, before deflating and grabbing a hold of his arm. Roman had been her friend for a long time, their families growing up together. Roman had actually been the one to introduce her to Seth, all the years before. 

 

"It hurts Roman, I know I broke up with him, but I felt him drifting away. I knew it was coming so I beat him to the punch." Charlotte admitted, kicking at a rock as they walked back to the Olympic Village. 

 

Roman sighed, turning his attention to the horizon out in front of them. "Seth didn't cheat on you, but I think your relationship had run its course. You both needed something new, you couldn't keep pretending you were happy when you clearly weren't." 

 

"Was it me? Did he fall out of love what could I have done differently?" Charlotte asked, clearly pained inside. 

 

It was rare for Charlotte to be as vulnerable as she was being and Roman didn't want his answer to hurt her more. "You can't play the what if game Charlotte. It doesn't help anybody, you're only going to torture yourself." Roman replied, before brushing away a tear that had fallen from her eyes. 

 

"I loved him, but now I just want to hate him," Charlotte argued, the heartache in her voice betraying her real feelings. 

 

"I know Charlie, I know." Roman pulled her into a tight hug, trying to soothe her brokenness. He pulled away after a moment and cleared his throat. "Forget about Seth okay? Focus on winning your games and earning that medal, maybe after you're done you can come to visit me and the family. My kids miss their auntie, Charlie."

 

Charlotte sniffled but nodded. "I'll try to bring the medal home, so they know what one looks like." She teased him goodnaturedly. She appreciated Roman looking out for her, even though he was Seth's best friend too. Roman had never once treated her badly or like an outcast. Even when everybody else turned their back, Roman had stayed neutral and she appreciated that. 

 

She watched him go and then with a shaky hand unlocked the door to her room. Bayley was already waiting for her. Her roommate merely handed her a cup of hot chocolate, Charlotte’s comfort drink of choice. 

 

“You don’t have to take care of me.” Charlotte commented defensively, not ready for the ‘I-Told-You-So’ that she deserved. 

 

Bayley shrugged and sat down on her bed, the one closest to the window since it was the one Charlotte hated. “I don’t have to take care of you, but if I didn’t, who would? You can’t be trusted to take care of yourself.” 

 

Charlotte grimaced as she took a sip of her hot chocolate. It was too hot still so she put it down. She laid next to Bayley, her hand seeking out Bayley’s. “I resent that you know.” 

 

“You resent a lot of things, but you never resent me,” Bayley replied, smiling despite herself. 

 

The smile proved to be contagious because soon Charlotte was smiling as well. “That’s true, it’d be too tiring trying to resent you.”

 

Bayley squeezed her hand gently, interlacing their fingers. Being Charlotte’s best friend made her privy to the fact that sometimes all the girl needed was somebody to hold her hand. “You’re going to be okay Charlie. You always find a way to win. Don’t let your love life be the thing that holds you back. It’s okay to miss him, but you need to move on honey.” 

 

“I know, I know,” Charlotte mumbled, before closing her eyes. A comfortable silence settled between them, neither one wanting to fill it with words.

\---

After everything had gone down with Charlotte on the pitch, Seth had dismissed the team. He kept getting questioning looks from his teammates, who told him he needed to sort his business out. He hadn't meant to make Charlotte cry or upset her, but he wasn't about to live his life being miserable just to make her feel better about herself. There was a part of him that wanted to just be happy regardless of what his ex though, but an even bigger part that still cared about her. 

 

The pair had been through a lot in their relationship, he had been there when her brother had died. She had been there when his parents divorced. They had been there for each other during their first national team caps, had been each other confidants when dealing with the high stakes pressure of the game. They had been each other's biggest supports through injuries and massive wins. 

 

But they had grown apart, who they were at the beginning of college and who they were now as adults and pro soccer players were different. Seth had never meant to hurt Charlotte but he had been relieved when she broke up with him. It hurt a lot but it freed him to find out who he was outside of being Charlotte Flair's boyfriend. 

 

Still seeing her sometimes cut like a knife, which is why he had decided to just go for a run. He wanted to clear his head without anybody trying to talk to him. He thought about Becky's weird brush off and how he wanted to score a couple of different goals at the Olympics. 

 

He was jogging a lap around the Olympic Village when he hit in back of the head with a soccer ball. He hit the ground and groaned, before slowly getting back up and dusting himself off. 

 

“Sorry about that,” Becky said, slightly out of breath as she jogged over to him. “My shot went a bit off.” 

 

Seth picked up the ball and offered it back to her, before looking past her to where some of her teammates stood. “You don’t usually miss that often.” 

 

“We all have our off days, you should know that as well as anybody Architect,” Becky said, gratefully taking the ball. She threw it towards her teammates, before clearing her throat. “Finn said I was a dick to you earlier, I am sorry.” 

 

Taken back a bit by the apology, Seth wasn’t sure how to respond. “It’s fine, I probably shouldn’t have been trying to chat you up. You were clearly busy then, just like you are now.” Seth said, giving a small nod. 

 

Becky regarded him with a careful expression but then nodded. “Well nice seeing you, Rollins.” 

 

“You too Lynch,” Seth said, taking the playing it cool approach. He was about to leave when he realized he should probably warn her about Charlotte. “Hey, keep an eye out for Flair. She was upset about the gossip rags running a story about us.” 

 

Becky crinkled her nose at that. There was no love lost between her and Charlotte, but she wasn't worried about it. “I can handle her, I’ll just tell her the truth.” 

 

Seth chuckled. “Nice to know you can still tell the truth. I am sure Balor’s real girlfriend wouldn’t appreciate you claiming he was her.” 

 

“Okay, I shouldn’t have lied, but I thought you were hitting on me.” Becky pointed out. 

 

“Do you always assume everybody wants to hit on you? Conceited much? Maybe I was just trying to be nice and friendly, you're not my type sweetheart.” Seth fired back. 

 

Becky chuckled at that. “I forgot your type is blondes, I’ll keep that in mind.” 

 

Seth rolled his eyes at that, just shaking his head. “I’ll see you around Lynch.” 

 

“Not if I see you first Rollins, not if I see you first,” Becky called, watching him leave before hurrying back to her game of pick up soccer. 

 

Seth fell back into his pace, wondering if all the girls in his life were going to be this dramatic and crazy.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlotte and Becky exchange some words through the media.

“What message do you want to send to the little girls back in Ireland?” 

 

Becky plastered a fake smile on to her face, as she was asked the same question for the twentieth time that day. She really hated having to do the media days, but it was important to promote the Women's games, so she tried to work through it. 

 

“I think I would really want to tell the girls back home that anything is possible. It’s a good thing to have talent, but hard work will beat talent every single time when talent doesn’t work hard. If you want to succeed, you need to work your tail off.” Becky said looking into the camera. She knew many athletes over the years who were talented but didn’t have the work ethic to remain at the top of their game.

 

Another reporter gave her a quizzical look. “Do you consider Charlotte Flair to be a talented player who doesn’t work hard?” 

 

Becky frowned and shook her head. “That is not what I said. I know for a fact that Charlotte Flair works hard, she’s the captain of her team and one of the leading scorers in the world for that reason.” 

 

“Do you think Charlotte and the Americans have a chance against your team? Can they derail your momentum and hand you a defeat that crushes your dreams of capturing gold?”

 

Becky was starting to get a little agitated now. There was nothing she hated more than when reporters put words into her mouth. “Everybody has a chance, that’s the thing about the beautiful game. The harder you work, the more effort you put in, that is what matters. Having a famous last name won’t win you the game, what wins the game is wanting it more. Ireland is hungry, so if Charlotte and the Americans want to win, they better be hungrier than we are.” 

 

With that, Becky stood up, done with the interview. She was close to losing her temper and she didn’t want Finn to yell at her for being rude to the sports journalist again. 

 

“Hey Becky, good to see you.” Nikki Cross said, clapping Becky on the back as she walked up behind her. Nikki was captain of the Scotland National team, but she and Becky had played their club soccer together for many years on the Olympique Lyonnais team. Whether they were on the same team or playing against each other, Becky valued Nikki’s opinion. Nikki Cross was probably one of the few people that could put up with her, and that didn’t annoy Becky all that much in return. 

 

“How’s the twisted sister of Scotland doing?” Becky asked, giving a genuine smile for probably the first time that day. 

 

Nikki shrugged. “I’m doing okay, I hate all these media appearances. I want to be playing out on the pitch.” 

 

“Well the opening ceremony is tonight, so hopefully once the games officially begin we can focus on playing.” Becky was more than ready for the games to start. She wanted to lead Ireland to glory and gold medals. 

 

“Not to be nosy but what’s going on with you and Rollins?” Nikki had known Becky a long time, and she had never seen Becky so much as take an interest in the American men’s team. 

 

Groaning Becky just shook her head. “Don’t even bring that up. He talked to me and some loser wrote an article about us being in love. I hardly know the guy.” 

 

“That’s one way to bring attention to your matches, being linked to him,” Nikki giggled, rather amused that Becky somehow always ended up in the middle of the drama. 

 

“Shut up, I don’t want to talk about it. I already have a migraine from the stupid reporters. It’s like they all share the same note cards and can’t come up with original questions.” Becky grumbled bitterly. She was starting to get a headache from being asked the same mind-numbing questions. 

 

Nikki quickly shushed her. “Don’t insult them, they have ears everywhere. You don’t want them running a negative spread on you again. Remember what happened the last time you insulted one of them. You told that report to go suck on a baguette and he trashed you for the next three weeks in the tabloids?” 

 

Becky chuckled, recalling the incident in question. “I do remember that the look on his face was hilarious. I wonder whatever happened to that guy.” 

 

“It doesn’t matter Becky, just play nice. Sponsorships matter after all.” Nikki warned, patting her friend’s shoulder before she left to go fulfill her own media obligations. 

\---

Charlotte was feeling good, she had worked up a nice sweat on the pitch in the first match against Canada. She had led her teammates to a four to one victory, scoring two of the goals. It was a decisive win, but even so, she was already thinking ahead to what they could clean up. 

 

There had been a miscommunication between her teams two center backs Ruby and Sonya. They had played a sloppy back pass to the keeper Sarah Logan, and one of the Candian Strikers had gotten to the ball and tapped it in. As the captain of the team, Charlotte felt it was her duty to not only inspire her teammates but also whip them back into shape. She knew that they could play better, that if they tightened up their formations they could win. 

 

Wiping away the sweat from her eyes, she walked over to do an interview. Having scored two of the goals, she had been voted player of the match. 

 

"Charlotte, I am impressed by the two goals you scored in the opening match. What was going through your head?" Renee Young, an interviewer from Canada asked. 

 

Charlotte gave a polite smile. "Thank you, um... well what was going through my head is that we needed to make a strong statement. Not just by winning, but by setting the pace and tone. We came here to win and that is exactly what we intend to do." 

 

Renee nodded slowly. "Your team is certainly in the spotlight, but I want to ask you about the comments made by Irish Captain Becky Lynch. Have you heard her recent comments?" 

 

Trying to keep her expression neutral, Charlotte shook her head. "No, I have not. I haven't been paying much attention to Becky, I am focused solely on the teams we're playing against right now." 

 

"Becky said that she doesn't think your team is hungry enough. She said that having a famous last name won't win you a medal." Renee said, reading off of her phone. 

 

Charlotte's hands clenched into white-knuckled fists at her side. "If Becky and the Irish don't think we're hungry, then they're in the wrong kitchen. We are hungrier than we have ever been, we want to not only beat them, we want to do it with Flair. Pun intended." 

 

Renee arched a brow and smiled. "You scored two goals in this match if you come across Ireland are you going to seek to score more goals?"

 

"I'll let my game speak for itself. We'll see what teams end up winning and what teams lose." Charlotte said, before giving a blunt nod.

 

"Charlotte, do you have any comments about the rumors of your ex Seth Rollins dating the Irish captain Becky Lynch?" Another reporter asked, clearly taking the opportunity to push Charlotte's buttons. 

 

Charlotte was starting to see red at this point. "Who Seth Rollins is dating is none of my business. Honestly, I am here to focus on the Olympics, I hope Lynch is too." Then with that, she walked off the pitch, not wanting to be subjected to any more intrusive questions. 

\----

"The gals played well today," Roman commented as he spotted Seth who was bench pressing. They had been working out and watching the women's teams play. "The back pass was sloppy but other than that, it's been impressive." Roman mused, knowing he could probably give some pointers to Sarah. He had been to an Olympics before, while his female counterpart hadn't.

 

Seth let out a heavy sigh and grunted, straining to keep bench pressing. Roman and Seth had been working out for close to two hours and Seth was starting to feel the burn. Roman helped him set the weight down before offering a hand to help him up. 

 

"Charlotte did a good job keeping the team motivated, but they're going to have to play sharper if they want to win," Seth commented, he knew what Charlotte was capable of, but he was aware that she couldn't win the whole thing by herself. Winning a game required more than just one-star player doing all the work. 

 

"She didn't seem to happy in the post-game interview." Roman pointed out. 

 

Seth grimaced and gave a shrug. "I don't blame her, it's frustrating when you're constantly asked about your personal life. She has better things to focus on then who I am allegedly dating." 

 

"Fair point, but you know they're going to ask her. They are going to try and get under her skin." Roman fired back. A lot of teams were aware of Charlotte's inability to stay quiet when she felt slighted. Charlotte was easy to bait, which wasn't good for the women's captain. 

 

"Hopefully she gets everything squared away. As for Becky, well from what I've witnessed, it'll be quite the battle when they meet up." Seth was actually excited for the game. Charlotte and her team were more defense-oriented but Becky and her fellow strikers were going to be a challenge, without a doubt. "Besides we have our match to prepare for. We face Mexico tomorrow and we need to be in to form." 

 

Roman smirked at that and playfully flexed. "I can handle it, in the words of Braun, Mexico is going to get these hands."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everybody who leaves comments, kudos, and subscribes/bookmarks. You guys are the best.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlotte confronts Becky and it doesn't go well.

Becky Lynch was feeling good, more than good, she was feeling excited. If she thought that playing in the World Cup had been exciting, playing in the Olympics was even more so. Having thousands of fans chanting and holding up their flags was boosting her spirits. There were certain games that when she was in the middle of them, reminded her of why she fell in love with football in the first place. She enjoyed the competition, plus it was always an added bonus when she led her team to victory. 

 

She had led her teammates back to the Olympic village, partying with them as they celebrated the first weekend of the games. She could see other athletes around and invited them to come and hang out too. Becky just wanted to have a good time, she wanted to make memories that would last a while. 

 

Grabbing a drink, she was enjoying dancing around with the different Olympians. That was until she found herself bumping into Bayley Martinez from the United States team. She nodded to the other soccer star and gave a polite smile. 

 

“Sorry I didn’t mean to bump into you,” Becky said, not wanting there to be any bad blood between them. 

 

Bayley gave her a friendly smile. “It’s not your fault, it’s crowded in here. Congrats on your win.” 

 

“I saw your game as well, congrats to you too,” Becky added politely. 

 

The two awkwardly stared at each other for a moment, before Charlotte stormed over. Charlotte had been waiting for Bayley to grab them some drinks and come back. The blonde was clearly irritated to see Becky talking to her best friend. 

 

“Is everything okay here?” Charlotte asked, plastering a fake smile on her face as she stared down at Becky. “Is she bothering you, Bayley?” 

 

Bayley shook her head. “We just bumped into each other, it’s not a big deal.” 

 

“Well, maybe she needs to check her ego and watch where she is going,” Charlotte said coldly. 

 

Becky’s eyes narrowed, wanting nothing more than to smack the smug look off the blonde’s face. “Listen here you fake little barbie. I don’t know what your issue is, but you need to check yourself and leave me alone.” Becky warned, her patience wearing thin. She was tired of the constant comparisons to Flair. All she wanted to do was play the beautiful game, but she couldn’t seem to escape Charlotte’s shadow and it was making her angry. 

 

Charlotte impulsively snatched two of the drinks out of Bayley’s hand and threw them into Becky’s face. 

 

Bayley looked horrified by Charlotte’s actions and tried to push the blonde away from Becky who was trembling with anger. Becky pushed Bayley out of the way and grabbed Charlotte by the shirt ready to punch her lights out. 

 

“Go ahead and do it.” Charlotte challenged, more than ready to duke things out. 

 

Becky was furious and her eyes were burning from the alcohol. “Not here, not now. But someday soon Charlotte, I am going to make you regret that.” Becky said, before roughly shoving the blonde to the ground and spitting at the grass right next to her. 

 

Charlotte for the first time was actually a little scared. She hadn’t expected Becky to react that strongly. Bayley was staring down at her disapprovingly but finally offered her a hand to help her up. 

 

“That was messed up,” Bayley commented pulling her up.

 

Charlotte nodded. “I know can you believe her.” 

 

“I wasn’t talking about Becky, you deserved to get punched in the face. What is the matter with you.” Bayley wasn’t pleased with how Charlotte was acting and walked away from her best friend. 

 

A crowd of the Olympians were watching the fight but seemed to part like the red sea as Becky pushed her way through them. The Irish Lass-kicker was furious and now in a foul mood. Her previous excitement about winning her first Olympic game was not forgotten. All she could think about was how angry Charlotte had gotten her. 

 

Becky felt a hand grab her elbow and turned to lash out, only to have her punch deflected by a confused looking Seth. "Why are you always following me?" Becky growled, jerking her hand away from him. 

 

Seth raised a brow. "I wasn't following you, I was at the party just like everybody else. I saw what happened, are you okay?" 

 

"Do I look like I am okay? Your ex is a fricken psychopath, who is clearly hung up on you." Becky snarled, hating the way that her shirt was now sticking to her skin. "Why can't you always just leave me alone? What did I ever do to deserve having to put up with her crap?"

 

Seth held up his hands, taking a step back from her. "Hey, look I am sorry she did that. I can't be held accountable for Charlotte's actions, she is her own person. I will talk to her if you want and try to get her to leave you alone." 

 

Becky realized she was being a bit unfair to Seth, it wasn't like it was his fault that Charlotte was being all crazy. "You're right she is her own person, but she is getting on my last nerve. Every single thing I do, I am constantly compared to her. It irritates me, I never asked for that." 

 

"I am sorry that it is like that, you are right, it isn't fair. But nothing we do in life feels fair sometimes." Seth slid off his jacket and offered it to her. "Here, put this on. Your shirt is kind of see-through."

 

Becky rolled her eyes and slid his jacket on. "Of course you would notice that." 

 

Seth cracked a smile and shrugged. "You're really cute, can you blame me?"

 

"For staring at my see-through shirt, caused by your crazy ex? Yes, yes I can blame you." Becky's bad mood seemed to be simmering down just a little bit. "I'll wash your jacket and get it back to you." 

 

"I am not too worried about it. I'll leave you alone now if you want." Seth offered, not wanting to overstep her boundaries. 

 

Becky hesitated before taking a deep breath. "Don't read to much into it, but would you like to dance? I was having a good time dancing and I'd hate to leave the party." 

 

"Actually I think I'd enjoy that," Seth said, holding out his hand to Becky so they could dance. "I assume you're going to want to lead?" 

 

Becky laughed at that and shrugged. "I've never been much of a follower."

 

"Uh, why am I not surprised?" Seth let out a playful huff, and followed her to the dance floor, glad that they were finally making progress with each other. 

\---

Across the party, Charlotte was drinking way too much. She had started talking to Andrade who played striker for one of the other teams, but he seemed rather self-absorbed, even for Charlotte's taste. He kept talking about how he had scored the best goal that day, and Charlotte was doing her best not to tell him to shut up. 

 

Bayley and her teammates kept shooting her concerned looks, but none of them came over to bail her out. Charlotte knew she had disappointed Bayley by being mean to Becky. She didn't even have a valid excuse for why she had thrown the drink in Becky's face. Deep down Charlotte knew that she needed to act like an adult and stop letting Bayley get to her. Every positive step she took forward, it felt like she was being pulled back another five. 

 

She grabbed another beer and started drinking it when a familiar face appeared in front of her. Roman wore a concerned expression and nodded to the drink. "How many have you had?" The keeper asked quietly, his tone lacking real judgment. 

 

"A lot, but I'm fine," Charlotte promised, unable to meet his eyes. 

 

"Yeah she's fine, I got her man," Andrade said wrapping an arm around Charlotte. 

 

Roman frowned, watching the way that Charlotte seemed to tense at Andrade's touch. "Come on Charlie, let's go." 

 

Charlotte squirmed away from Andrade's touch and took Roman's hand. "Thanks." She mumbled under her breath. "I take you saw what happened?"

 

"I did, but it's not my business," Roman replied, not letting go of her hand until they were far enough from Andrade. Then he simply placed his hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay Charlie, like really?" 

 

Charlotte's seemed to tremble at the question, it was one that she didn't even know the answer too. She was doing her best to hold it all together, but she felt like she was cracking under the pressure. "I just got angry, it wasn't even at Lynch. I just, I saw her bump into Bayley and it gave me a reason to go after her." 

 

"Did it make you feel any better throwing the drink in her face?" 

 

Charlotte shook her head. "No, of course not. It was stupid to do that. I don't know what is wrong with me Roman. I feel perpetually stuck in the same cycle." She staggered forward a bit, starting to really feel the drinks. 

 

Roman sensed her struggle and then moved in front of her. "Hop on, I'll give you a piggyback ride." 

 

Charlotte snorted but seemed to realize he was serious. "Nobody has given me a piggyback ride in ages." With a bit of a struggle, she managed to get up on his back. "Where are we going anyway?"

 

Roman resumed walking, carrying her on his back. "I thought maybe you'd like to look at the stars. It's better than the party." 

 

Charlotte rested her chin on his shoulder, breathing in his cologne. "Yeah, I do like stars. You know, you smell better than Andrade." 

 

"I'll take that as a compliment I guess." Roman chuckled unsure of what else to say. "You're going to be okay Charlie, you're a survivor." 

 

"Doesn't always feel that way." The blonde muttered, feeling a bit discouraged. 

 

"I know a survivor when I see one," Roman promised, trying to make her feel better. He was growing tired of seeing her tired and broken all the time.

 

When they finally made it to the spot, Roman gentle set her down. It was a nice little hill, that overlooked the Olympic Village and yet had a semi-clear view of the stars. Charlotte snuggled into his arm, trying to keep warm as she studied the constellations. 

 

"Thanks for rescuing me back there," Charlotte said after a moment. "You didn't have to do that, I would have been okay. Andrade is pretty harmless, mostly just arrogant and self-absorbed.

 

Roman shrugged, just allowing Charlotte to have a moment of peace. "It's what friends do. Somebody's gonna need to look out for you." 

 

"Why did you though?" Charlotte questioned, unsure of what he wanted from her. "What's your end game? What does the great Roman, hero of the national team want?" 

 

"No end game Charlie. Just want to sit on this hill with you for a little while, then when you're ready to face everybody I'll walk you back." Roman promised, giving her a small smile. "I know you're in a rough place. I think more than anything you just need a friend and somebody to listen. You also need somebody to keep you from drinking too much and getting alcohol poisoning, so that's why I am here." 

 

"Mm, well I suppose that's a good enough reason to keep you around." Charlotte mused, finally relaxing. 

 

"I'm glad you found a reason," Roman said, before letting a comfortable silence settled in the air between them. 

 

It had been a long time since Charlotte had actually allowed herself to be still. She had been scared that all of the stuff she was running from would catch up to her if she stopped moving. But being on the hill with Roman, she felt peace for the first time in a long time.


	5. chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Becky and Charlotte get stuck in an elevator and come to a sort of understanding.

Charlotte Flair had never expected to fall asleep in Roman’s room. Nothing had happened, of course, he was a gentleman and had slept on the couch, but waking up in his room was not a good thing. Charlotte had a massive hangover, she vaguely recalled sitting and watching the stars with Roman. Then her stomach growled and he had taken her back to his room to share his stash of Oreos with her. 

 

Charlotte realized she must have fallen asleep and then Roman had let her stay. She appreciated that, but she didn’t think that Seth would see it as kindly. Roman was supposed to be Seth’s best friend, not somebody that Charlotte hung around with. 

 

Slowly creeping out of Roman’s bedroom, she found the keeper asleep on the couch. He looked almost peaceful when he slept, and Charlotte took the blanket off the back of the couch and covered him up. She felt bad for leaving without saying goodbye, but she didn’t want to make things more awkward. Plus she had to get out of there before Seth or one of their teammates came. 

 

Making a mad dash for the elevator, the doors open to reveal Becky Lynch looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. The Irish captain looked surprised to see Charlotte and slowly tilted her head to the side. 

 

“You doing a walk of shame there Flair?” Becky asked, not even trying to hide the smirk on her face. 

 

“No, I was just checking on a friend. Now I’m going back to my place.” Charlotte said, before grumbling under her breath. She didn’t owe the redhead an explanation. 

 

Becky nodded slowly before nodding to the row of buttons. “You have to press the button for the floor you want Lass.” 

 

“Why are you being nice to me?” Charlotte asked she recalled that she had poured drinks on Becky the night before, but Becky wasn’t attacking her. 

 

“I’m not being nice to you, I’m telling you to press one of the buttons,” Becky said a little bit sharper this time. She couldn’t have Charlotte thinking she was being nice to her after all. “Who’s room were you leaving, isn’t your room on the sixth floor and this is the third?” Becky questioned. 

 

Charlotte was a little unsettled that Becky knew where her room was. “I was seeing Seth.” Charlotte lied. 

 

Becky rolled her eyes. “How funny that you say that. I literally just saw Seth, I was getting his coffee and going to meet him downstairs in the lobby. Plus his room is up another floor not down” 

 

Charlotte scowled at being caught in the lie. “Fine, not that I should have to tell you anything, but I was seeing a friend. I fell asleep okay.” Charlotte turned and started jamming her finger against the elevator buttons. She ended up pushing a few different ones, just wanting to get away from Becky as soon as possible. 

 

“Hey don’t do that, you’ll break-” Becky had barely got the words out of her mouth, before the elevator lurched downward, shuddered and then stopped. “You broke it, way to go Flair.” 

 

“I...I didn’t break it.” Charlotte protested, trying to press the button again before she started to panic.

 

Groaning at her luck, Becky just slid down to the carpet floor. “We’re going to be here a while, I already know.” 

 

“Help me find a way out, don’t just sit there,” Charlotte demanded, pounding on the doors of the elevator. 

 

Becky rolled her eyes. “Why should I use my energy helping you, I have time to kill. Elevators don’t bother me lass, but apparently, they bother you.” She smiled smugly and began to drink her coffee.

 

“I don’t want to be stuck here with you!” Charlotte complained. 

 

Becky snorted at that. “You ain’t a walk in the park yourself either princess. I haven’t forgotten your stunt from last night.” 

 

“What are you going to do shank me?” Charlotte snarled. 

 

“Don’t give me ideas.” Becky shook her head, wondering why it was her luck to get stuck with Charlotte. The blonde irritated her to no end. 

 

Charlotte finally sat down after a while but parked herself as far away from Becky as she could. She pulled out her phone, trying to get a signal but there didn’t appear to be any service. “How long do you think we’ll be stuck in here.” 

 

“I have no clue,” Becky replied, closing her eyes and leaning her head against the wall panel. “Can I ask you a question?” 

 

“Even if I said no, it wouldn’t stop you. What do you want to know, Lynch?” Charlotte asked, already feeling defensive. 

 

“What did I do to you to make you be so nasty to me?” Becky asked, wanting to know why Charlotte had always been so negative to her. “Why do you hate me?”

 

The blonde hesitated, actually having to think of an answer, rather than having one ready. “I don’t hate you. I hate being constantly compared to you.” Charlotte answered, before sighing. 

 

“Well being compared to the blonde-haired, blue-eyed perfect American queen isn’t a walk in the park either.” Becky snorted, shaking her head. 

 

A small smile tugged at the corner of Charlotte’s lips. “You think I’m perfect?”

 

Becky let out a frustrated groan. “Here we go.” 

 

Charlotte laughed quietly. “Look, Lynch, I don’t hate you. I feel like we are constantly pitted against each other. Everybody loves you, they only like me because I score goals. It doesn’t matter how hard I work, they only think I have success because my dad is rich and owns one of the teams.” 

 

“I don’t want to be pitted against you, Flair. I never have. For one thing, we play in separate leagues and on different continents. Why can’t we just get along and not let things build as they have.” Becky suggested, wanting to squash their issues now. 

 

Charlotte considered this for a moment. “Do you really like Seth?” 

 

Becky gaped at her, not expecting the question. “I mean he’s alright, he’s kind of fun to hang out with. But all we’re doing is hanging out and getting to know each other. I’m not trying to go after your ex-boyfriend.” 

 

Charlotte held up a perfectly manicured hand to stop her. “He likes you, I can see it in his eyes. I saw it back at the World Cup, it’s why we broke up.” 

 

“I’d rather squash these issues between you and me. If entertaining whatever I have with Seth is going to keep causing issues between us, then forget it.” Becky’s main focus was soccer and improving the game. She did like Seth, but not enough to jeopardize potentially ending a feud with Charlotte. 

 

“Stop, hear me out. If you’re interested in Seth than go for it, but just don’t talk trash about me or bring my name into it okay? Keep my name out of your mouth and we’ll be fine.” Charlotte said, taking some of the advice Roman had given her. He had told her that it was time to move on and put the past behind her. 

 

Becky was surprised at Charlotte taking the high road. “I can make that deal. Do you promise to do the same? No more throwing drinks in my face. We can act like adults and talk things out ourselves and not through the media.”

 

Charlotte nodded and held out a hand. “Deal.”

 

“Okay, deal then,” Becky said shaking her hand, glad to finally be squashing the beef. “You can have Seth’s coffee if you want, I am not sure how long we’ll be here.” 

 

Charlotte took the coffee and smiled. “Thanks, hopefully, they rescue us sooner rather than later. I hate being stuck like this, it makes me anxious.” The American admitted. 

 

A loud pounding sound echoed outside the elevator. Becky let out a relieved sigh and got to her feet. "It looks like they came for you after all. I'm glad I got stuck in the elevator with you, the world notices when you go missing." Becky joked, taking a long sip of her coffee. 

 

"Maybe we could grab another coffee sometime. I feel like there is more we could hash out and talk about." Charlotte said quickly, knowing there were some things that she wanted to ask Becky. 

 

Becky nodded. "Sure, we can go to lunch or something," Becky replied, feeling more optimistic. She gave Charlotte a tiny smile, before squeezing through the elevator doors as they were finally pried open. 

 

Bayley stood on the other side and looked from Becky to Charlotte with a raised eyebrow. "You guys were trapped in an elevator and didn't kill each other? What alternate universe are we living in?"

 

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "We can be civilized, don't ruin the moment," Charlotte muttered, getting out of the elevator. She took in a deep breath of fresh air, relieved to finally be freed. "Come on Bayley, I could use some breakfast. I'll tell you all about it on the way." The forward said, dragging Bayley in the opposite direction of where Becky was headed. She didn't want to press her luck with other people around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all don't know how pumped I am that the USWNT won the world cup. It was fricken epic.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlotte and Becky have to deal with people being nosy about their new potential friendship.

“So you’re befriending the enemy? Is it safe to say that our fearless leader has lost her edge and gone soft?” Sasha Banks asked, much to the irritation of Charlotte. Why Sasha felt it was her place to ask was anybody’s guess, but it got under Charlotte’s skin.

 

The National Team had only been twenty minutes into practice before Sasha had cornered Charlotte on set-piece drills to question her. Charlotte flashed an irritated glance at Bayley who at least had the decency to blush. The blonde should have known that Bayley sucked at keeping secrets when it came to Sasha. 

 

“Not that it is any of your business but I did not befriend the enemy. We merely had a civil conversation.” Charlotte said, her tone clipped to signify that there was room for further questions. "If you think I have gone soft, allow me to show you that I haven't."

 

Sasha, of course, could care less about what Charlotte’s tone meant. She was more fascinated by the fact that their captain hadn’t gotten her face caved in by Becky Lynch. “I am surprised she didn’t beat you within an inch of your life for you stunt with the drinks. You got some real balls to be caught in an elevator with Lynch.” She mused, not rising to Charlotte's bait for fighting.

 

Charlotte shrugged her shoulders. “I found that Lynch could be reasonable when she chooses to be. Besides, it wasn’t like I meant to be caught in the elevator with her.” Charlotte trailed off, not wanting to elaborate any further and risk divulging the fact that she had spent the night in Roman’s room. She didn’t want that particular piece of gossip out there for Sasha to start a rumor about.

 

Sasha rolled her eyes, giving Charlotte a ‘cut-the-crap’ look. “You’ve spent your whole career so far trash-talking her and constantly being compared and all you can say is that she ‘could be reasonable when she chooses to be’?”

 

Setting her jaw, Charlotte flashed Sasha a warning look. So far Charlotte had put up with Sasha interrupting practice for gossip hour, but the other player was starting to get on her nerves. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore if you insist on wanting to talk I’ll make you run laps.” 

 

Thankfully Sasha took the hint and backed off, leaving Charlotte to resume working on some of her set pieces. The whole confrontation had put Charlotte in a bad mood and took her focus off the task. 

 

It was only when Charlotte went in for a bone-crushing tackle on one of her defenders, that the keeper Sarah Logan finally pulled her to the side. 

 

“I don't know where your head is at Capt, but I’d appreciate you not injuring my backline.” Sarah was particularly protective of her backline and looked after Liv, Ruby, Sonya, and Mandy like a concerned mother hen. 

 

Charlotte sighed, realizing that perhaps she had been letting her personal issues get the better of her on the field. “I’m sorry, I lost my head there for a minute.” 

 

Sarah gave her a concerned look but didn’t press. Charlotte wasn’t the sort to discuss her personal life or business, and Sarah wasn’t the sort to pry into it. 

 

“Well keep your head on straight Flair, we voted you captain because we believe you can lead us to victory.” Sarah’s words were meant as encouragement, but Charlotte took them more like an ultimatum. Charlotte needed to produce or else her girls would lose faith in her and as their leader, she couldn’t allow that to happen. 

 

Grimacing and trying to force a more genuine smile, though it didn't reach her eyes, Charlotte excused herself from the conversation. She knew that they would be going out later for drinks, but after the stunt at the party, Charlotte felt like it was better that she refrain. Olympic village was great, but the US Captain wasn't in the mood to party. She politely rejected Bayley's invitation to come, still a bit miffed at the side-ponytail wearing soccer player. Charlotte was trying to hold her tongue even though she felt like Bayley deserved a good telling off for sharing her business with Sasha. 

\---

"So I heard from a little birdie that you and Flair got stuck in an elevator." Nikki Cross was smiling smugly at Becky much to the chagrin of the Irish Lass Kicker. 

 

"Is that little birdie's name Finn?" Becky asked, rolling her eyes. Finn had been on her case about playing nice with Charlotte and the other teams. 

 

Nikki shrugged, not wanting to reveal her source. "Did you try and cut her? I know you were angry the night before." 

 

"I'm not a savage, so no I didn't try and cut her. I save my revenge for the football pitch." Becky responded, wishing that the floor would come and swallow her up. She was supposed to be doing cardio and strength training, not chatting it up with Nikki. The fact that she was already sweaty and overheated did not help to improve Becky's sour mood.

 

Nikki was content to talk about things though, barely breaking a sweat as she did pull-ups. "What was blondie, like in person, what did you guys talk about." 

 

Becky was growing irritated wondering why everybody seemed to care so much about what she talked about. If people weren't asking her about Charlotte they were bugging her about Seth. Becky didn't want to lose focus she wanted to keep her mind on the mission in front of her, which was leading her team to the medal. 

 

"Oh come on Becky, tell me." Nikki encouraged, clearly wanting to gossip. 

 

Eye twitching, Becky turned to finally face Nikki. She stared at the Scottish girl as she busting out pull-ups. "Has it occurred to you that I don't want to talk about it?" Becky asked, her tone sharp. 

 

Nikki dropped down from where she was exercising and scoffed. "You've never had a problem mouthing off about Flair before. Something change?"

 

"I realized she's not the devil I made her out to be. She's doing the best she can." Becky snapped, her eyes flashing with a warning. "I'm tired of being pitted against her." 

 

A sympathetic look entered Nikki's eyes and she finally relented. "I'm sorry Lynch, I wasn't trying to pit you against her." Nikki didn't want to raise Becky's temper any further. 

 

Becky took a deep breath, letting her temper simmer down. "I should not have snapped at you. Charlotte is just a sour spot. I think we may actually go out and have a coffee or something. Once we get past being nasty to each other, it's actually nice to have a conversation with her." 

 

Nikki smiled and tilted her head. "Going to coffee together might be a nice olive branch." Nikki genuinely wanted to see Becky be the best version of herself and if finally putting the rivalry with Charlotte to bed was the key than so be it. 

 

"I need to get her number, maybe I can text her. It would be better to do it in private where there won't be people trying to listen in." Becky didn't need the media trying to poke their nose into her business. They already did that enough as it was. 

 

"I have an idea. on how to get her number." Nikki said clapping her hands together. "Give Nikki a few minutes to play and I'll get back to you," Nikki said, before jogging away from Becky. 

\----

Charlotte had just gotten back to her room for the evening, more than ready to climb into bed for a nap. She wanted to be asleep before Bayley got back, she didn't think she could put up with the girl giving her sad puppy dog eyes. If Bayley felt guilty for telling Sasha about Charlotte's business, she was trying to make up for it by being overly clingy and apologetic. Honestly, Charlotte wasn't sure which bothered her worse. 

 

Cursing under her breath when she heard her phone buzz. To Charlotte's surprise, she had a text message from an unknown number. 

 

_'Hey Flair, it's Lynch. You said in the elevator that you'd maybe want to grab coffee sometime. Does that offer still stand? - BL'_

 

Charlotte was surprised by the message, confused as to why Becky even got her number. She decided not to overthink it, knowing getting out and having coffee with her rival was better than having to deal with a remorseful Bayley.

 

_'I am curious as to who gave you my number, but I could go for a coffee. It would b better than having to be stuck in my hotel room. Text me the address of the place and I will meet you there. - CF'_

_'Okay, I'll be sending you a pinned location. I'll pay by the way, since I'm the one asking you for company - BL'_

_'Alright then see you soon. - CF'_

 

Charlotte wasn't sure why she was accepting Becky's offer to hang out. Sure they had a lot to talk about and hash out, but if Sasha or her teammates got wind of them hanging out, they'd probably be irritated. Charlotte was dreading having to have that talk with her teammates. There was a reason she had banned all talk about Seth and Becky during training camps, they had been off-limits because Charlotte didn't want to discuss all of her more complex feelings. 

 

Checking her phone for the pinned location, Charlotte sighed softly. It was for the best that she get a move on, Becky's location was a good twenty-minutes walking distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everybody who is reading, leaving kudos and general supporting my fanfiction. You guys are the reason I enjoy writing so much. Thank you for sticking with me, it's been a rough couple of weeks.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Becky and Charlotte have an actually pleasant discussion and come to an agreement. Seth and Roman, on the other hand, have a bit of a falling out.

Charlotte Flair prided herself on being the first one on the pitch, the first one to be done with exercises, in general, she just liked to be first. She felt it gave her an air of dominance, which was why she was irritated that Becky had beaten her to the coffee shop. Charlotte supposed she should have known it was coming, because why else would Becky have invited her for coffee if the Irish woman hadn’t already been there. 

 

Becky on the other hand, while competitive in nature, didn’t need to be first. She was greatly amused however by the sour look on Charlotte's face. She could tell the blonde was trying to school her features into a more neutral look, but there was no denying it. Charlotte honestly looked like she had sucked on a lemon. 

 

“You made it,” Becky said, trying to at least cut her a little slack. “What kind of coffee do you want?”

 

Charlotte forced a smile. “I’d take a white chocolate non-fat latte right about now.” 

 

Becky had to fight to keep from rolling her eyes. “Of course, I’ll get that for you.” She said, motioning for Charlotte to sit down. 

 

The blonde watched her go, before taking a moment to drink in the sights and sounds of the little coffee shop. It was beautiful in a way, a sort of hole in the wall. There were some old school action movie posters on the wall, that Charlotte found herself lost in. She happened to be studying one of them so intently that she didn't notice that Becky was back until the woman cleared her throat. 

 

"How did you find this place?" Charlotte asked, turning her attention to Becky. 

 

Becky shrugged her shoulders, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. "I found it when I went on a run. I just needed to clear my head and get away from the reporters. It was easy to stop in here and hideout." 

 

Charlotte listened to her story and then sighed softly. "I have to admit it is nice to have a place to hideout. Thank you for sharing it with me Becky." 

 

"Well we promised to turn over a new leaf and be civil to each other, consider this my olive branch," Becky said with a small smile. 

 

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Charlotte asked, trying to get to the root of why Becky had requested her company. 

 

Becky hesitated for a few seconds, fiddling with the lid of her coffee cup. "I have spent most of my career playing in France, with Olympique Lyonnais. I love Lyon, but I recently got an offer to play in the states...from your dad." Becky trailed off, know that Charlotte would get what she was hinting at. 

 

Charlotte wasn't sure how to process this news. Her dad owned the North Carolina Courage, the fact that he wanted Becky Lynch on the team meant that he was looking towards the future of North Carolina Courage club. He already had a lot of star power with Charlotte and some of her National Teammates being on the Courage, but having Becky would provide them even more exposure. 

 

"I can tell by the look on your face you didn't know anything about it." Becky sighed, she had been worried about this. She didn't want to step on Charlotte's toes, they had only recently brokered an uneasy truce. 

 

"You're right I didn't know anything about it. Do you even want to come to play in the United States? I thought you were happy in Europe." Charlotte was studying her closely, trying to get get a read on Becky's intentions. She didn't know if she completely trusted Becky yet. 

 

Becky shrugged her shoulders. "I am always looking to bring my game up to the next level. I've won a couple of titles with Olympique Lyonnais, I don't have anything left to prove. If I make the move to the American League and I feel like I could round out my game." 

 

"Well, the American League is the most competitive." Charlotte conceded, before tilting her head to the side. "Is that the only reason you want to come to the states?"

 

Becky felt her hackles beginning to rise, she felt like Charlotte was trying to accuse her of something. "What other reason would I have for coming there aside from winning titles and improving my game?" 

 

Charlotte sensed Becky's weakness and pounced on it. "Maybe for Seth?"

 

Becky groaned and just shook her head. "I thought you said you didn't care about the whole thing with me and Seth." 

 

"I don't care, I just want to know your motivations for coming. The North Carolina Courage is important to me, that's my team. I'm the captain of that team, if you aren't going to give us a hundred and ten percent then I don't want you on the team." Charlotte knew her words were harsh but she meant them. Charlotte insisted that her teammates be focused and have a winning mentality if Becky couldn't bring that, then there was no room for her. 

 

"Don't get things twisted Flair if I join your team I would make it better. I would lead your team to glory just like I've done every other team I've been on. I've strapped the Irish National Team to my back and carried them, and I would do the same to the Courage." Becky snapped, her temper flaring. She didn't appreciate being questioned about her dedication, Becky had always given a hundred and ten percent. "Besides if something was to develop between me and Seth, the team would still be the priority." 

 

Charlotte seemed to relax at Becky's words, she liked the girl's fire. "So are you going to join the team and take my dad up on his offer?" 

 

Becky scowled, glaring a hole through her coffee cup. "I don't know if the team could handle both of our egos." 

 

The comment drew a laugh from Charlotte. "I am sure it would find a way to stretch. My dad always said that everybody has a price for their ego. I am sure he'd be willing to fork over enough to curb yours." 

 

"So you'd really be okay with us on the same club team?" Becky for all of her irritation did actually care about Charlotte's opinion. She didn't want to be trapped on a team with somebody who was going to make her miserable. 

 

Charlotte smiled and extended a hand towards her. "As long as we win and bring home the league trophy I think we'll get along fine. But for the rest of the Olympics and National Team games, you are on your own." 

 

Becky took Charlotte's hand and shook it. "You got yourself a deal, Charlie." 

 

Charlotte was curious as to when Becky would make the transition over. "So you really want to come to play in the States. I thought you'd want to go to a more show-off type of teams like Portland or Orlando." 

 

Becky shrugged her shoulders. "The American Women's league has been trying to get me over there for ages, but I just haven't felt like leaving Lyon. But now I feel is a good time. I can sign a contract with your father and prove that I belong." 

 

"I can understand where you're coming from. I've wanted to play over in Europe, but I felt like it was my duty to grow the American League. Having the Irish Lass Kicker there would certainly draw some attention." Charlotte conceded, knowing that it would bring a lot of much-needed attention. 

 

"Let's think about the fact that if we're on the same team, we could shred defenses." Becky wasn't blind to the fact that they both had big egos, but she knew if they worked together, they could be unstoppable. 

 

Charlotte smiled and finished the rest of her coffee. "Well, I guess we're going to be a team then."

\---

 

Seth Rollins was frustrated, no scratch that, he wasn't just frustrated. There wasn't a strong enough word to describe the irritation that bubbled under the skin of the striker. He had gotten a red card for fighting in his last match, which meant that he'd have to sit out the next game. 

 

He was still stewing in the locker room long after his other teammates had left. It was Roman who had finally decided to come back for him. 

 

"You know I'd be really thankful to you for taking that other forward out, except you got a card for it, man." Roman and Seth had always been protective of each other, they were known for throwing down when it came to it. 

 

"I don't know who Andrade thinks he is, but he cheap-shotted you." 

 

"You cleated him in the knee, Seth." Roman pointed out, but he couldn't help but laugh. Seth may have been the architect, but he sometimes failed to think these things through. "You don't normally lose your temper that fast." 

 

Seth shrugged, not wanting to talk about what was really bothering him. He had heard about Becky and Charlotte developing friendship. He was worried that Charlotte would somehow convince Becky to avoid him like the plague. 

 

Roman frowned when Seth didn't banter back with him. He sat down next to his best friend and nudged the forward. "What's really going on? You don't normally act this reactive unless it has something to do with Charlotte. Does it?" Roman was almost hesitant to ask, he didn't want to tell Seth about his own feelings. There was no way Seth would take that very well. 

 

Seth buried his face in his hands and sighed. "Before the match, I got a call from Charlotte's dad. He told me that he's signing Lynch to his team." 

 

"Okay..." Roman didn't quite see the problem with that. "She'll be in the states isn't that a good thing?" 

 

"No, at least I don't know if that's a good thing. I feel like Becky is finally starting to come around and actually talk to me. If Charlotte gets jealous again, she could mess it all up." Seth pointed out, not noticing the way Roman seemed to flinch at the blonde's name. 

 

Roman gently punched his friend in the shoulder. "They were stuck in an elevator together, maybe they're just becoming friends. That's not a bad thing." 

 

Seth snorted and let out a bitter laugh. "My ex and the girl I'm interested in becoming friends sounds more like a nightmare than a dream." 

 

Roman took a deep breath. "I've been meaning to talk to you about Charlotte." 

 

This seemed to catch Seth's attention. "What about her?"

 

"She spent the night in my room, nothing happened, but I thought you should hear it from me. I...I like her man." Roman could tell by the look on Seth's face, that his best friend was not sure how to process the news. If anything Seth looked a little green around the gills. 

 

"You like Charlotte?" Somehow Seth managed to make the question seem like an accusation. "The same Charlotte, who is my ex-girlfriend?"

 

Roman stood up and began to pace, mostly to put him out of Seth's range if the architect got angry. "Yeah, I do like her. I mean our families have known each other for an eternity. I've always liked Charlotte, I just backed off because you liked her."

 

Seth felt a surge of irrational anger coursing through him. He wasn't even sure why, it wasn't like he wanted to be with Charlotte anymore, but he hadn't expected the man he thought of like a brother to go after his ex. "Why her, you could have anybody man." 

 

It was Roman's turn to get angry. "I liked her first, you dumped her! You didn't want her, you gave up your right to be angry about it." Roman shouted, very quickly losing his cool. 

 

"You know if she goes out with you, it'll only to be because she's trying to get back at me. Do you really just want to be Charlotte's latest rebound, because that's all you'll be. She would actually want to be with you Roman, you have to know that." Seth pointed out, instantly regretting them as a look of hurt flashed through Roman's eyes. 

 

Roman grabbed Seth by the jersey and hauled him to his feet. For a few seconds, he debated on punching his friend in the face but then released him. "Next time you want to do me a favor, just don't," Roman said, before shoving Seth back into the chair and storming out of the locker room. 

 

Seth watched Roman storm out and frowned. He hadn't meant to hurt his friend, he wasn't even sure why he had reacted so strongly. He wanted to be with Becky and pursue her, but Charlotte was still a sensitive spot for him.


	8. Chapter 8

Charlotte was feeling a little glum, her team was going to the Gold medal game, but she had picked up a bit of a knee and ankle injury and wasn't sure she'd be able to play. The walking boot on her foot and the knee brace made it hard to really play anyway. Unsurprisingly her teammates had told her it would be okay and that they'd dedicate the match to her when they played, but it wasn't the same as playing herself. Even Becky had sent her a tweet, telling her that she hoped she'd feel better soon. Charlotte was at least thankful that she and Becky had buried the hatchet, but she was still bummed about the game. 

 

She knew somebody else who would be miserable as well, the USA men's team. For some reason, Roman's head hadn't been in the game and he had failed to save two penalties, leading to the men's team being eliminated from the Olympics. Charlotte felt sympathetic to his pain and wanted to lift his spirits. He hadn't responded to her text messages or calls, so she decided to go see him in person. Roman wasn't usually the type to just ghost his friends, so Charlotte was giving him the benefit of the doubt. 

 

However as she slowly limped her way to his room with a pack of beers and some chips, she did not get the warm welcome she was expecting. It wasn't Roman who opened the door but rather it was Mandy Rose, who was a defender for Charlotte's team. 

 

"Oh um, hey Mandy. Is Roman here?" Charlotte asked, unable to look Mandy in the eyes. The girl's hair was clearly messed up and her lips were swollen. Charlotte had to fight the urge to keep from throwing up. 

 

Mandy stared Charlotte up and down, before turning and closing the door in her face. Charlotte was stunned but a few seconds later, Roman opened the door. He had a stormy expression on his face but stepped out to talk to Charlotte. 

 

"What are you doing here Charlie?" His voice held a bit fo an accusation, that rubbed her the wrong way.

 

Charlotte held up the beers and chips. "I thought we'd hang out and be pissed over how our tournaments are going, but apparently you already have plans." 

 

Roman cast a guilty look over his shoulder, before looking back to Charlotte. "She just came over and we started talking about stuff. You know how it goes."

 

"It's fine," Charlotte said desperate to keep the hurt out of her voice and not let Roman know how it affected her. "Here keep the beer and chips, I'm sure you two can put it to better use." 

 

"Charlotte, wait! Don't be mad at me okay. " Roman said reaching for her hand. "Look, I was under the impression that you and Seth were done but I guess that isn't the case." 

 

"What the heck are you talking about?" Charlotte asked, looking confused. 

 

Roman sighed and let out a low chuckle. "I told Seth I liked you, and he told me the only reason you looked my way was because of him. That I am just some rebound to get back at him, and I won't be a rebound, Charlie. Find some other sucker to play your stupid game."

 

His words hurt Charlotte more than seeing him with Mandy had. Roman had never been rude or mean to Charlotte before, but apparently he was making up for the lost time. Charlotte smacked him hard across the face, ignoring the stinging in her palm. 

 

"You were never a rebound Roman. If you honestly knew me as you claimed too, you would have seen that. Have fun with Mandy." Charlotte snapped, before limping away. She ignored Roman calling out her name, not even wanting to look at him. Anger radiating through her and now she was going to find Seth to show him the reward for messing up her love life. 

 

It didn't take all that long to find Seth even in a crowded bar. The forward was sulking about his red card still and drinking away his frustration at being benched. Just to be spiteful and get back at him, Charlotte had texted Becky to meet her at the bar once she spotted Seth. She wanted the Irish Lass Kicker to hear Seth's reasoning for messing up her chance with Roman. 

 

"You're a real piece of work Rollins," Charlotte growled as she stormed up to where he was playing darts. 

 

Seth flinched as he threw a dart at the board and missed. "To what do I owe this verbal assault." 

 

Charlotte laughed bitterly and shook her head. "You told Roman to back off because he liked me. Now he's out screwing Mandy." 

 

"I guess he must not have liked you as much as he said," Seth replied coldly. He was pretty drunk at this point and past caring about being nice to Charlotte. 

 

"Why would you do that? You're the one who broke up with me, why do you care who I date?" Charlotte was confused by Seth's actions. If he didn't want to be with her, then why was he sabotaging her chance at happiness. 

 

Seth turned on her, his eyes blazing with anger. "He broke the bro code. You don't get with your best friend's ex. Maybe that's just something you don't understand, respect and honor. I don't think your family knows anything other than drugs, sleeping around and messing up the lives of everybody else around them."

 

"But according to your bro code, it's okay to get with your ex's enemy? You broke up with me for Becky fricken Lynch of all people." Charlotte snapped shoving him hard. "You broke my heart and now I finally find some guy who might treat me decent and you turned him against me. Also, shut up about my family, you lost the right to talk about them when you dumped me. " 

 

"Don't act all high and mighty Charlotte. You would have turned Becky against me, given half a chance." Seth fired back, folding his arms over his chest defiantly. "You're a manipulative witch, I know how your games work. You would have pretended to be nice to Becky, only to make her hate me. You only wanted to screw around with Roman to get back at me. You started this game, I'm finishing it before you can screw Roman up with your Flair-crap. Save him before he marries you." 

 

Charlotte was now crying, Seth's words hitting a sore spot for her. Having been together for so long, Seth knew where her insecurities lay and he was hitting them on purpose. She opened her mouth to say something, but Charlotte didn't even have the words to defend herself. 

 

She was saved from having to defend herself when somebody threw a drink in Seth's face. Charlotte turned, stunned to see a very angry Becky Lynch backed up by Finn Balor and Nikki Cross. 

 

"Ay, don't you talk to her like that," Becky warned her accent thicker with each word she spoke. "I don't know what kind of man you think you are, but you aren't who I thought you were. I am not some pawn in your game. Charlotte and I haven't always seen eye to eye, but at least she'd have the balls to stab me in the front and not in the back. Charlotte never said anything bad about you, but actually encouraged me to give you a chance. I'm starting to think I shouldn't do that."

 

"Becky please it's not like that. Charlotte is playing you." Seth protested, before glaring at Charlotte. "This is your fault! You got what you wanted didn't you." 

 

"I said don't talk to her like that," Becky growled, shoving Seth herself. She may not have always liked Charlotte, but now that they were developing mutual respect, she wasn't going to let Seth belittle Charlie. "Another word about Charlotte and I'll stick that dart up where the sun doesn't shine." 

 

Seth frowned and took a step towards the girls, but Finn and Nikki got in the way. "She said don't," Finn spat at Seth, as Nikki grabbed a drink of her own and threw it in Seth's face. 

 

Charlotte wanted to throw a drink of her own but turned away and stormed out of the bar. Well, she stormed out as fast as her walking boot would allow. Becky was hot on her heels, easily catching up to the blonde outside. 

 

"Did you plan for me to see that?" Becky asked, grabbing Charlotte by the arm and whirling her around. She had left Finn and Nikki behind to keep Seth from following her. Becky had doubts that Finn would make sure Seth left them both alone for a while.

 

The blonde looked her square in the eyes. "I wanted you there for the confrontation yes. But I didn't know he was going to say those hurtful things. I wanted him to explain to both of us why he wrecked things for me and Roman. I thought you should know too."

 

Becky studied her for a long moment, trying to make sense if Charlotte was lying to her. Finally, she released her and nodded in acceptance of Charlotte's words. "Men are kind of douche bags sometimes." 

 

Charlotte let out a watery laugh and wiped her eyes. "Yeah, they actually are." 

 

Becky stared down at the ground, she was feeling a lot of complex emotions too. She had actually started liking Seth, but now seeing how he was treating Charlotte was a major turn off. If he wanted to win her back, he'd have to prove that he wasn't such a dick. 

 

"How long are you going to be out?" Becky asked, shifting her attention to Charlotte' injury.

 

"A few weeks, I should be good to go for my club team, in time for us to play together," Charlotte explained, before clearing her throat. "If you need a place to stay for a few weeks until you find an apartment in North Carolina, you can stay with me."

 

Becky whistled and raised a brow. "Wow, you sure you want me to stay with you? I mean just last week we were sworn rivals and enemies." 

 

"I've learned in the past few days you can't judge a book by its cover. I was wrong about you Lynch." Charlotte admitted, grimacing as she tried to humble herself. 

 

"How bad do you want to throw up right now?" Becky teased before she became serious. "I was wrong about you too Flair. But maybe we can work on that. Why don't you come and drink with me and my friends? You can invite some of your friends and we can all hang out." 

 

Charlotte thought back to her teammates, knowing she wouldn't be inviting Mandy. She was a little pissed at the girl, but she figured she could invite Bayley, Carmella, Sonya, Alexa and some of the others. 

 

"Okay, you know what that sounds like fun. I could use the distraction." Charlotte mused, wanting to forget about the cruel things Seth and Roman had said. If partying with Becky's national teammates would make her feel better, that sounds like a good idea.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the Olympics don't go the way that either Becky or Charlotte want them to, the duo finds themselves bonding as Becky makes the transition to the North Carolina Courage.

Becky would never admit it, but she was pleasantly surprised by how quickly Charlotte and her teammates adapted to partying with Becky’s friends. She could see her friend Nikki Cross partying with one of the shorter girls on Charlotte’s team and it made her smile. Becky had witnessed how hard it was for Nikki to make friends sometimes. So it was refreshing to see Nikki open up to somebody new so quickly. 

 

“Are you having fun?” Becky asked Charlotte as she strolled up to the blonde. 

 

Charlotte cracked a smile and glanced down at her cup. “I feel a little tipsy, but it feels good,” Charlotte admitted, taking another long drink. 

 

Becky chuckled, finding it amusing that Charlotte couldn’t hold her liquor all that well. “As long as you don’t pour liquor in my face again, I think we’re good.” 

 

“Yeah...I’m still sorry about that,” Charlotte admitted, sheepishly ducking her head. 

 

“Hey, don’t do that. It’s all good.” Becky said, placing a finger under Charlotte’s chin and tipping her head up. “Keep your head up Queen, you don’t want your crown slipping.” 

 

Charlotte locked eyes with Becky, her gaze searching before Bayley came over to interrupt the moment between the two captains. Bayley had her arm slung around Sasha’s shoulder and was dragging her friend over. 

 

“You guys, I think Sasha had a little bit too much to drink. Can you help me get her back?” Bayley asked, knowing that a drunk Sasha would be a lot to handle on her own. 

 

“I think that’s my cue, I am the captain,” Charlotte said, moving to pick up Sasha only to stumble. 

 

Becky rolled her eyes and gently pushed Charlotte’s hands away. “I got her, isn’t that right Boss?” Becky teased, easily scooping Sasha up over her shoulder. 

 

Bayley and Charlotte trudged behind Becky and a very intoxicated Sasha who kept trying to tickle Becky’s side and making comments about how firm Becky’s backside was. 

 

“Guys, is she always like this?” Becky threw over her shoulder to Bayley. 

 

“Trust me after she gets over the killer hangover in the morning, she’s going to be mortified,” Bayley replied, shaking her head at Sasha’s antics. She directed Becky to where Sasha's room was, before falling in step with Charlotte. 

 

"I heard from Sonya about what happened with Roman," Bayley whispered, stealing a cautious look at Charlotte, only to see the girl's posture become rigid.

 

Charlotte felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. "It frustrates me you know. I thought Roman was different, I thought something was happening between us, but I guess not." Charlotte was no stranger to disappointment and tried not to let that feeling settle into her chest. 

 

Bayley responded by merely linking arms with her friend in a show of support. She also allowed the conversation to drop, noticing that the subject had seemingly sobered the blonde up. 

 

Becky made her way back to them, having successfully put Sasha in her bed. "She's a handsy drunk apparently, I mean I'm used to people wanting me but geez" Becky muttered, a blush still dusting her cheeks. 

 

"You can bet she will be even more mortified now." Bayley laughed, already knowing she was going to have a lot of fun teasing Sasha about it. 

 

Charlotte smiled, but it didn't quite meet her eyes. "Thanks for helping us get her home, Lynch."

 

"It was nothing," Becky replied sheepishly unsure of what to do with the praise. Charlotte being friendly to her at all was still an unnerving experience. 

 

Bayley stole a quick hug from the two, ignoring the way that Becky seemed startled by the contact. "I'll see you two later, I have to make sure Sasha doesn't throw up in the bed." She said, grabbing a bottle of water before leaving the two captains alone. 

 

Charlotte watched her go, before noticing Becky shifting her weight awkwardly from foot to foot. "Thank you for letting us party with you and your teammates. It was fun." 

 

Becky smiled and nodded. "I had fun too, it was nice to see everybody getting along. I am sorry about what went down earlier with the boys." 

 

"Seth wasn't always like that, I don't know what his problem is. You know he broke up with me for you?" Charlotte asked. Her eyes were burning with an intensity that seemed to melt Becky's confidence and caused the Irish girl to stare at the ground. 

 

"I'm sorry Charlie." Becky felt the words stuck in her throat, but she forced them out anyway. "I was never trying to steal Seth from you, I just wanted to play soccer. I am sorry for the pain I caused."

 

Charlotte lifted Becky's chin, forcing the girl to make eye contact with her. "If I was him, I would have picked you too. You have got this way of playing soccer, this breathtaking effortlessness. I want to be mad, but how can I? He always told me I had a stick up my backside, maybe he was right."

 

A look of understanding passed through Becky's eyes. "Charlotte he was wrong. Roman was wrong too, and one day they'll realize it. Let's focus on this tournament, and then our club campaign. If they come to their senses then great, if not at least we'll be champions." 

 

Laughing quietly, Charlotte nodded. "Oh we'll be champions, in the words of my very drunk friend, 'you can bank on that'."

 

Becky laughed at the joke before stuffing her hands in her pockets. "I should get back, I'll see you around Flair." 

 

Charlotte felt like the air was being sucked out of her lungs, a feeling of apprehension striking her. "Can you stay? Just for a bit longer, we can watch a movie or something." Charlotte was fearful that if Becky left, their truce would be over. The blonde would deny it if asked, but she felt like Becky was a kindred spirit. Maybe it was because of the Seth and Roman thing or something else entirely, but Charlotte didn't want her new friend to go. She wanted Becky to stay and help keep the dark feelings of inadequacy at bay. 

 

Becky hesitated before shrugging. "Yeah, I'll stay for a little while longer." 

\-----

_~A month later ~_

 

If Charlotte had thought losing the World Cup was hard, losing the Olympics was even harder. Her heart and head both weren’t in the game and the prolific scorer hardly touched the ball. The USA Women’s National Team had been kicked out of the Olympics and Charlotte had almost immediately flown back to North Carolina to lick her wounds in peace. 

 

Roman, of course, had tried to get in contact with her and it had been awkward. Mandy was being unbearable and gloating about how much fun she had had with Roman. Charlotte ignored the other blonde though all she wanted to do was rip the girl’s hair out. 

 

Charlotte had been in a funk, the only thing that made it slightly better was that her friendship with Becky had continued to develop. Bayley had teased them both endlessly about finding the duo curled up together on the couch after the party. Charlotte despite her embarrassment was proud of the blossing friendship, she had dubbed herself Becky's number one fan. Becky and the Irish team had made it further in the Olympics, getting third place. Now was officially the day that Becky was finally joining Charlotte and her club team in North Carolina. 

 

Whatever reservations Charlotte had previously held about Becky were gone. She found herself excited to see the other soccer player. While Bayley was still her best friend, Becky was quickly becoming a sort of confidant for Charlotte. 

 

They talked about their guy issues, but they also talked about how to be better soccer players on and off the pitch. It felt good to have a connection to somebody who saw the game differently. That reason alone had Charlotte excitedly waiting at the airport to pick Becky up. 

 

Her dad Ric had tagged along as well, explaining that since Becky was joining his team it was only appropriate that he made an appearance as well. Both of the Flairs wanted Becky to feel welcome in North Carolina and on the Courage club team. Charlotte hadn't argued, knowing that was one fight she wasn't going to win. 

 

“I feel like we should have brought one of those signs,” Ric mumbled, feeling woefully underprepared. He liked to be ready for everything and make a big impression. “Flowers or balloons at least.” 

 

Charlotte glanced at her dad out of the corner of her eye and raised a brow. “She’s not our date dad.” She pointed out. 

 

The look Ric gave her would have knocked most people flat on their back. “Babygirl everybody could be a date at some point. Go fetch some flowers for Lynch, we want her to feel welcomed in North Carolina.” 

 

Charlotte had to fight to keep from rolling her eyes but walked into the nearest airport gift shot to obey her father. She looked around the shop trying to figure out what would make Becky feel appreciated. Charlotte purchases a bouquet, a keychain, some candy bars and finally a small stuffed cat. The more that she looked at the tiny little plushie cat the more Charlotte couldn’t help but laugh. Either Becky was going to love it or hate it, but it didn’t matter much to Charlotte. 

 

Walking back out she saw a flash of red heading towards Ric. Seeing Becky again, had Charlotte feeling lighter. 

 

“You made it Becks,” Charlotte said hugging her friend. 

 

A very tired Becky hugged Charlotte in return before shaking hands with Ric. Ric about pulled the Irish girl off her feet when he yanked her into a hug. 

 

Charlotte groaned and lightly pinched her dad’s arm. “Less hugging.” She muttered, not wanting Becky to feel uncomfortable. “We got you something.” 

 

Becky smiled and took the flowers from Charlotte and the little bag. She looked through chuckling at the assortment of candy. “I’m going to eat all of these and then have to run it all off in practice.”

 

It was then that Becky noticed the pink and white plush cat. She plucked it out of the bag. “Is this for me?”

 

“Yeah, I thought that you might be lonely, so I got you a pet,” Charlotte said trying to hide her laugh. “The tag says its name is Duchess.”

 

Becky rapidly shook her head. “I’m not calling it that. Its name is Cat Damon.” She said decisively.

 

Charlotte blinked in surprise but before she could answer, Ric started laughing. “Cat Damon it is. The Flair family and the North Carolina Courage welcome you to our great state and team.” 

 

Becky grinned and gave an appreciative nod. “I think I am going to like it here.” She said, following them out. 

 

“I’ll grab your suitcase for you, Charlotte will show you to the town car,” Ric said, patting her on the shoulder, before leaving the two of them alone. 

 

“Sorry about my father. He doesn’t know when to turn off the charming business persona off.” Charlotte found herself trying to make amends for Ric. Her father tended to hit on anything and everything that moved. 

 

Becky blushed but shrugged. “Consider me flatter Flair. I guess charming is just part of the DNA.”

 

Charlotte gave an amused half-smile. “Yeah, I guess it is. Come on, I’ll show you to the car. I know my dad is going to insist on a tour of all the city’s hot spots.” 

\-----

Becky had been nervous to leave Ireland and Europe as a whole. Playing for Lyon in France had given her a lot of stability in her career as a professional athlete. Coming to the United States and playing for the same team as Charlotte was a bit nerve-racking. Becky was aware that she would be meeting a lot of new people and that it would be important to win them over. 

 

Charlotte's father, Ric, was a lot more charming than Becky had anticipated. He was kind and warm though sometimes his comments bordered on a little too forward. Both of the Flairs made sure to try and make Becky as comfortable as possible in her new town. 

 

It was Charlotte who insisted on giving Becky a personal tour of their home stadium and introducing her to the security guards and staff. It put Becky at ease knowing that she could meet some of the people before practice. 

 

"I know you're tired so we won't stay here too long. But I wanted to show you the locker room." Charlotte explained, leading Becky through the maze of stadium corridors. 

 

Becky was awestruck as she saw the different accolades her club team had won. There was a lot of great hall of fame names that had played for the North Carolina Courage. She ran her fingers over some of the trophies a small smile on her face. Becky wasn't a stranger to winning trophies with Lyon but she was excited to try and win some glory with the Courage. 

 

"This is the trainer's office. We have a lot of staff that are great about treating the knocks and bruises we pick up. If you have any concerns you just talk to them." Charlotte said, before nodding to the door. "You go in first."

 

Becky raised a brow and then opened the door, searching for the light switch. When she flicked the light on, she was surprised to find her new teammates waiting for her by their lockers. 

 

"Surprise!" Bayley called, shooting a confetti popper at a startled Becky. "Welcome to the North Carolina Courage. We are glad you are here!"

 

Becky flushed, oddly touched by the gesture. She saw a lot of faces from Charlotte's national team as well as a few faces from the Olympics. "Is that good old Nattie I see? Ripley, I didn't know you played here." Becky said, walking further into the room to greet everybody. 

 

It meant a lot to her that the team had shown up to greet her. Becky wasn't sure what the future held for her in the states but she was excited about the journey. 

 

Charlotte sat back, watching Becky mingle with the rest of the team. Bayley soon joined Charlotte's side, gently nudging the tall blonde. 

 

"She seems to be fitting in so far," Bayley commented, trying to gauge where Charlotte's head was at. Bayley was good at being the emotional center of the team and keeping everybody balanced. Charlotte was their captain but Becky was the one who helped Charlotte lead the team on and off the pitch.

 

"I have no doubt that she'll adjust accordingly. I'm just worried about Seth coming around and screwing things up. I am nervous about him getting into her head and screwing up her focus" Charlotte admitted. Her father had traded Seth to the opposite side of the states, but Seth had a way of always showing up when Charlotte wanted to see him the least. 

 

"Well, I think Lynch is stronger than we give her credit for. She doesn't seem the type to fall into Seth's immature drama. Are you still not taking his calls?" Bayley asked with a frown. The hugger wasn't a big fan of avoiding problems when they could be talked out. "What about Roman?" 

 

"I see him sometimes at practice but we don't talk." Charlotte shrugged, not wanting to really get into the details of her personal life. "Look if he is happy with Mandy then he's happy." 

 

Bayley didn't know what to say to that, so instead, she simply gave Charlotte a tight hug. "Let's just go have some fun. Maybe I can help Becky decorate her room later."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back with the latest chapter of this story. Fear not my faithful readers, I have not forgotten you. 
> 
> Life is stressful but on the upside, I get to go on vacation in a couple of weeks to see an nwsl game and go to Disney World. So hopefully I will have some more free time to write. 
> 
> Also somebody pointed out to me that Charlotte and Becky's friendship had sort of taken center stage. I meant this as a love story for Becky/Finn, Charlotte/Roman. But truth be told, maybe the true love story is the development and friendship of Charlynch. Whether platonic or not, Soul-mates are soul-mates, and i think that's what Charlynch are. Two sides of the same coin.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman tries to make apologies, and Ric introduces a bigger problem. Will Becky be willing to do something underhanded to get ahead or will she put her friendship with Charlotte first?

"You totally cheated Flair!"

 

Charlotte Flair couldn't help but laugh at the total shock in Becky's voice. They had been running laps around the pitch when Charlotte had made a wager with Becky. Whoever could run from one goal and back to the other first would be treated to a home-cooked meal by the loser. 

 

Becky, who was just as insanely competitive as Charlotte, had abruptly agreed to the idea. Becky had figured Charlotte would be just as winded as she was. Charlotte had then smirked and yelled 'Go', leaving Becky trailing behind her the whole way. 

 

"Darn you and your long legs. You totally cheated!" Becky yelled again, dropping down onto the grass surface of the pitch. She was panting heavily and still glaring daggers at Charlotte. 

 

"Flairs don't cheat we just find creative ways to win," Charlotte replied in a sing-song voice. She plopped down next to Becky on the grass and nudged her. "You cook tonight and I'll cook tomorrow." She promised.

 

Since Becky had moved to North Carolina to play for the Courage, the pair had become better friends. Charlotte knew Becky got homesick, so she insisted on trying to help the girl get out and experience all that the state and city had to offer. They were pretty much inseparable and when they got their other teammates to join in on their adventures, it always led to a good time. They would normally invite Bayley, Sasha, and the others out to dinner and then end up doing something random like putting sticky notes all over Ric's car. 

 

Becky scowled at Charlotte, still not happy about losing the race. "Fine, but you have to tell Cat Damon he is the best kitty ever when we get into the locker room." The Irish-woman demanded.

 

Charlotte rolled her eyes skyward and let out a laugh. "I'll tell Duchess." She said, just to get a rise out of Becky. 

 

Becky lightly punched Charlotte in the arm and grumbled under her breath. It had become a running joke between them to keep the stuffed beanie baby cat in Becky's locker at the stadium. Becky had sworn up and down that the cat brought her good luck, while Charlotte refused to call the toy by the name the red-head had given it. 

 

Eventually, Becky found her way to her feet and offered a hand to Charlotte to pull her up to her feet. The practice had actually been over for a while and they both needed showers. The pair began making their way to the locker rooms when a familiar face emerged out of the General Manager's office right in front of them. 

 

Roman Reigns was dressed in his goalkeeper uniform, he was obviously doing some media for the men's side of the team. He looked surprised to see both Charlotte and Becky, but perhaps that was more because he had almost walked straight into the blonde. 

 

"Sorry about that, I should watch where I am going I guess," Roman said rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. The air between the three was quickly filling with awkwardness. 

 

"Yeah, you really should," Becky muttered, folding her arms across her chest. She had heard the whole story from Charlotte about what had gone down and she didn't like Roman all that much. 

 

Charlotte kept her eyes glued to the ground, unsure of what to even say to Roman. "It's fine, no harm done. Come on Bex, let's just head to the lockers."

 

"Wait!" Roman reached out to grab Charlotte's wrist but hesitated and let his own hand fall to his side. "Can we talk a minute please?" He cast an uneasy glance at Becky, before looking back at Charlotte who was still refusing to meet his gaze. 

 

"Alone?" Charlotte sounded wary of this proposition.

 

Roman nodded when at last the blonde met his eyes. "Yeah, that would be preferable."

 

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Becky interjected, picking up on Charlotte's discomfort. "Whatever you need to say to her, you can say in front of me."

 

"No, Bex. I think I need to handle this one on my own. I'll catch up with you in a bit." Charlotte said, nudging Becky towards the locker room. As much as she was dreading talking to Roman by herself, she knew she needed to get it over with. 

 

Becky did not look happy with being sent away, but she respected Charlotte enough to do as she asked. She pushed past Roman and then hesitated. "If you hurt her again, so help me-... they won't find your body." She told him, her eyes blazing as she made her way into the locker room. 

 

Roman let out a shaky sigh, he wasn't intimidated by much, but Becky Lynch seemed the type to follow through on that threat. "She's a bit intense isn't she?"

 

Charlotte groaned all of her feelings of frustration and hurt seemed to bubble up the surface. "What do you really want Roman? Why are you even here?"

 

"Well, I am here at the stadium because your father asked me too. We're doing publicity for the men's side, Seth is around here too I think." Roman said, not missing the way that Charlotte's eyes darkened at the mention of her ex. It was a very clear warning for Roman to think about his next words and tread lightly. "I want to apologize to you." 

 

"You know what, I don't really want to hear it. You seem happy with Mandy, she seems happy..." Charlotte cut him off. She may not have liked Mandy all that much, but she wasn't going to stoop to the other girl's level. "Maybe someday you and I can be friends, but I doubt it'll be more than that. You really hurt me Roman and if I have learned anything in the last few months, it's that soccer comes first." 

 

"Please, Charlotte. Listen and hear me out, I made a mistake with Mandy and that whole situation. I've already set her down and explained things to her." Roman was genuinely trying to amends, but Charlotte really wasn't interested in it. 

 

As much as she had started to like him during the Olympics she wasn't going to risk the respect of her teammates for him. "Roman, you and I have been friends for a long time. You know what kind of woman I am. I keep my word and to me loyalty is everything. I don't want to have this conversation with you and I would appreciate if you could do your best to leave me alone." 

 

Roman seemed to deflate at that but stepped aside so Charlotte could get past him. "If that's how you really feel, then I'll respect that and leave you alone." 

 

A sadness seemed to curl up in Charlotte's stomach, but she just gave him a nod. "It's for the best." 

 

Charlotte made her way to the locker room, only to find her father and Becky in the middle of a heated discussion. She held back by the door just out of their view. From the sounds of it, her dad was trying to convince Becky of something and the Irish Lasskicker wasn't having it. 

 

"If you even give the illusion of dating him, it would bring a lot more fans to the games. You could bring much-needed attention to the team." Ric said, using his sales pitch voice. 

 

"There is nothing you can offer me that would make me want to fake a relationship with Rollins. He isn't a good guy Mr. Flair." 

 

"Call me Ric, none of that mister stuff. I told you, it makes me feel old." Charlotte's dad sounded tired and more than a little frustrated. "I could give you the thing you want the most, the Captain's armband. You could be the captain of the North Carolina Courage."

 

Charlotte's blood began to boil, part of her wanted to step out from her spot by the door, so her father could sell her position on the team right in front of her. She had always been ridiculed for playing for her Father's team, everybody had always speculated that she was only the captain because of her last name. 

 

Becky actually hesitated, but it wasn't because she was considering the offer. She actually found the offer to be insulting. "You would take away your own daughter's position on the team?"

 

"Well you'd only be captain in name, you'd get to wear the band, but Charlotte would still be the leader of the team." Ric shrugged his shoulders. "Our league is failing Ms. Lynch. The National Team attracts thousands and thousands of fans, we're lucky if we even get a thousand in the stands per game. We are one of the most winningest teams in this league and we're not even breaking even. It cost us a lot of money to bring you to this team, so if you could just do your part and pitch in, that'd be great." 

 

Becky's jaw actually dropped, she had found Charlotte's father charming when she met him at the airport, but seeing the desperate business side of him, she didn't like it at all. "I won't do that to Charlotte."

 

"Charlotte is a big girl, she'll understand. This is business, it's not personal." Ric again sounded tired, and he looked every bit the age he was. 

 

"I am sorry sir, but my answer is no. I am not going to work with Rollins." Becky said defiantly. 

 

It was then that Charlotte decided to make her presence know. "What's going on here?"

 

Neither Becky nor Ric met her eyes, but it was Becky who answered her. "Nothing, your dad was just explaining some of the perks of my contract. I think I understand them now Mr. Flair, you can go." 

 

Charlotte wasn't sure why her friend was covering for Ric, but it meant more to Charlotte than she could actually put into words. There were people on her team that she trusted, who she knew would never betray her. Bayley was one of those people but now Charlotte felt comfortable putting Becky on that list. 

 

"We'll talk about this later Ms. Lynch." Ric wasn't one to be deterred, but for the moment he was willing to drop it. He was less likely to give away Charlotte's captaincy when she was right in front of him. He didn't want to hurt his daughter's feelings, but business was business. 

 

It was only after Ric was gone, that Charlotte sat down on the bench and studied Becky who was busy changing. Becky felt Charlotte's eyes on her and for the moment tried to ignore it. Eventually though the red-head shot a look over her shoulder. 

 

"You're staring at me, what is it?"

 

"I heard my dad offer you the band," Charlotte said bluntly, straight to the point as usual. She had never been one for dancing around topics. 

 

Becky stiffened and then ever so slowly she turned to look at Charlotte. "I rejected his offer." 

 

"I know you did, I heard that too." Charlotte's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why did you do it? It could be another shiny accolade on your list."

 

A look of hurt entered Becky's eyes. "It's not about the accolades Charlotte. I don't care about that stuff, it's nice but I'd rather have our friendship than have some stupid band. At the end of the day, that armband is just a piece of fabric, it's not worth the guilt I would feel. This is your team Charlie, I am here for you, not to take it from you."

 

Charlotte wasn't sure why Becky's words touched her so much, but she stood up and tugged Becky into a bone-crushing hug. She felt Becky freeze up in her arms, but she didn't care. 

 

Becky did her best to hold out but eventually melted into Charlotte's embrace. "Not really a hugger," Becky mumbled against Charlotte's shoulder. 

 

That comment drew a watery laugh from Charlotte who released Becky from the hug. "I know, I am sorry. It just means a lot to me that you have my back even when I'm not around." 

 

"It's what friends do, we are friends right?" Becky asked. She sounded almost hesitant to put her self out there, worried that Charlotte might decide that they weren't friends. Truth be told, Becky could probably count on one hand the number of actual friends she had as a professional athlete. Cross, Sheamus, and Balor were really the only ones she was super close too.

 

Charlotte nodded quickly. "We are friends Lynch, as unexpected as it might be, you've become one of my closest friends. I will deny it until I'm old and grey, but I think the team is pretty darn lucky to have you." 

 

Becky shifted awkwardly almost unsure of how to accept the praise. They had spent so much time being pitted against each other, that it still amazed her that a friendship had actually developed. 

 

"Well gee Charlie, I love you too. Although, you do still cheat at running sprints," Becky muttered good-naturedly, trying to defuse the tension.

 

"You really just had to ruin this touching moment didn't you?" Charlotte groaned and shook her head. "Fine, I'll make dinner tonight, but only because you were a good friend."

 

Becky smiled smugly. "I'm the best and don't you forget it."

 

"Now you're just being cocky." Charlotte rolled her eyes and lightly shoved Becky's shoulder. "Grab duchess and let's go home," Charlotte said grabbing her gear bag and heading for the exit.

 

"His name is Cat Damon, stop calling him Duchess!" Becky called after the blonde. She snatched the little plushie cat from her locker and followed after the taller forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update in the books, woot woot! Alright, I have to be honest with you guys, this story has gone a totally different direction then I thought it would. I may need to rewrite the summary because I planned on having Seth-Becky be together but I think the main focus on the story is no longer the weird love triangle, but the actual friendship developing between Becky and Charlotte. Their friendship makes a better story. 
> 
> Anybody wanna help me come up with a new summary? I'll give you credit in the next chapter. I suck at summaries.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is some heavy angst in this one. 
> 
> After celebrating a big win for the club team, Becky gets some shocking news that causes her to need to go back home.

There was something about being out on the pitch, running at full speed and trying to score goals that appealed to Becky. She was at home on the pitch and slowly the North Carolina Courage’s pitch was becoming a second home to Becky. She had always been able to shut up the critics with her style of play, she could be aggressive but she was also a forward who could set up a good ball into the box at the drop of a hat. 

 

Her style of play was similar to Charlotte but different enough that they complimented each other. The more that they played together, Becky realized that Charlotte was better at penalties, while Becky herself was better at playing an attacking forward role. Charlotte was far more methodical in her approaches, but together they were unstoppable. 

 

It was their sixth game of the season together and they were on fire. They had worked together the last couple of games to each score a winning goal and had assisted each other and their other teammates on multiple other goals. Charlotte was leading the team with five goals for the season and three assists, while Becky had four goals on the season and six assists.

 

They had just finished their match against Portland and were celebrating in the locker room with their teammates. 

 

“If we keep this up, we’re going to have an undefeated season.” Bayley mused as she clapped Charlotte on the back. 

 

“Don’t jinx us Lass,” Becky called over where she was changing into her street clothes. 

 

Charlotte nodded in agreement with Becky’s words. “She’s right Bayley, we haven’t had an undefeated season yet.” 

 

“We almost did in 2018.” Bayley pouted, folding her arms over her chest.

 

Charlotte groaned and buried her face in her hands. “Don’t remind me of the North Carolina Courage dream killer. I don’t want to even think about it.” 

 

Becky looked confused from the captain to Bayley who was laughing. “I don’t think I understand.”

 

Bayley just waved her off. “You don’t even want to know. We were one game away from being undefeated and we lost in overtime.” 

 

“Ouch, that had to hurt,” Becky said, letting out a whistle.

 

“You had no idea. My dad would have bought me a new car that year if we had gone undefeated.” Charlotte said with a long sigh. 

 

“So are we going out drinking tonight?” Sasha questioned as she walked over to join the group. “It’s time we go out and celebrate. I wanna go Boss-mode” 

 

“Boss mode? Is that what you were in France because you got super drunk and handsy.” Becky said, glaring playfully at the blue-haired midfielder. Sasha had dyed her hair after losing a bet to Becky during the last game. 

 

Sasha scowled at her and shrugged. "Most people wouldn't complain about me being handsy, isn't that right Bay?"

 

Bayley blushed and suddenly found the ground particularly interesting as she couldn't meet anybody's eyes. "Yeah, that's right Sash." 

 

Becky looked between them and then turned her attention to Charlotte. "Well roomie if you want to go out, then I'll go with you. You're my ride home anyways." 

 

"Aww the roomies arrive together, that's cute," Sasha said snickering at them. 

 

"We save on gas." Becky pointed out. 

 

"Do you save on water too?" Sasha couldn't help but tease them. She just liked riling Becky up to see what the Irish Lass Kicker would do. 

 

Charlotte rolled her eyes skyward. "Can you two stop fighting? Sasha, please don't taunt Becky like that. Becky, don't take the bait. Let's go drink, I think we could use one after that game." 

 

"That is true, you have a point. You did get knocked down a lot Charlotte. I'll by the first round." Bayley promised, nudging her taller friend. The other team had actually fouled the blonde captain frequently, there was no doubt Charlotte would have some nasty bruises.

 

“You heard that right?! Drink on Bayley!” Becky called, ignoring the dirty look Bayley was now shooting her. 

 

Bayley lightly punched Becky right in the shoulder. “You are the biggest pain the butt I’ve ever met.” 

 

Becky tilted her head to the side and gave a thoughtful hum. “How long have you known Sasha.” 

 

Sasha growled and shoved Becky. “Don’t be rude.” 

 

Charlotte groaned again. “What did I just say? No fighting you two, you’re worse than children.” She muttered, pushing Becky out of the locker room before the two could get into yet another fight. 

 

"You worry too much, Sash knows I love her," Becky said, still feeling the high from the game. 

 

"I love you too Idiot," Sasha called back to her, actually smiling. 

 

As the group and some of their teammates made their way to the club, Becky's phone kept buzzing. She kept checking it but not answering. 

 

"Aren't you going to get that?" Bayley questioned. 

 

"It's one of my cousins, I don't know why they'd be calling me," Becky said checking her watch. It was like three in the morning in Ireland, so she didn't know why they'd be trying to get a hold of her. 

 

Charlotte frowned. "Maybe you should get that. It might be an emergency." 

 

"Or it could be them just wanting to congratulate me on the game." Becky knew her cousins back home were supportive. She always got encouraging messages after the game. "Come on let's just go dance." She said grabbing Bayley and Sasha's hand, dragging them out to the dance floor. 

 

Charlotte watched them go but didn't say anything. She didn't care much for dancing and figured she would just watch everybody's drink, while they were having a good time. She was setting up to take a shot when her own phone started ringing. 

 

"Hey, dad what is it?" Charlotte asked, not at all prepared for what he was about to tell her. "Yeah... Becky's here with me. She's dancing with Sasha and Bayley...No she hadn't talked to anybody on the phone." Charlotte felt the air get sucked out of her lungs as her father delivered some bad news. It felt like the blood was pounding in her ears, she just slowly put her phone down on the barstool. 

 

Before the blonde soccer player even knew it, she was in front of Becky. Becky's own excitement seemed to dissipate when she saw the look on Charlotte's face. 

 

"Why do you look like somebody died?" Becky asked, trying to make sense of the girl's facial expression. 

 

"I am so sorry Becky. There's been an accident, your mother and Grandpa were hit by a car. It's not looking good, they don't expect your grandpa to make it through the night." Charlotte whispered into her ear, having to fight to be heard over the music in the club. 

 

Becky stared at her stunned. "I think I misheard you." She said not wanting to believe the words that had come out of her friend's mouth. 

 

Charlotte repeated them a little louder this time, barely managing to catch Becky as the girl's knees gave out. She managed to hold her friend, but Becky was almost dead weight. Throwing a pleading glance at Bayley and Sasha, the other girls helped her slowly get Becky out of the club.

\----

“She has been in there for a really long time,” Sasha said, glancing at the door to the bathroom. They had all retreated to Charlotte’s apartment. Bayley had set to work booking Becky a flight, while the Irish girl had mumbled something about needing a shower. 

 

The car ride back to the apartment complex had been rough. Becky had finally gotten a hold of one of her family members to get the details. She had spent most of the car ride just silently crying over in the passenger seat. 

 

Charlotte who hated seeing her friend in pain frowned. “Should I go check on her?” She asked. 

 

Sasha thought about it for a moment and then nodded. “Yeah, maybe we should.” She easily picked the lock, ignoring the impressed look Charlotte gave her. 

 

“How did you learn to do that?” Charlotte asked, genuinely amazed. 

 

“I had a life before soccer,” Sasha replied. She pushed open the door to the bathroom, frowning when she saw Becky just sitting there on the shower floor. 

 

“What are you doing?” Becky questioned, her teeth chattering. It seemed like she finally realized the shower had run out of hot water. “I didn’t think I invited you two into my shower, I’m all about saving water-” She let out a heavy sigh, not even caring enough to finish her joke. 

 

Charlotte turned the water off, watching as Sasha slowly wrapped a towel around Becky to keep her covered. “Come on Bex, let’s get you warm,” Sasha said, her voice taking on a warm tone that was usually only meant for Bayley. 

 

Becky resisted for a moment but then slumped against Sasha. “I can’t believe he’s gone.” She whispered, sounding every inch the broken-spirited persons he was. 

 

Sasha shot a glance at Charlotte and together the two of them maneuvered Becky out of the shower. “I am sorry for your loss…” Sasha said, unsure of what else to really say to the grieving Irish woman. 

 

It took some time, but they managed to coax Becky into getting dressed and warmed up. Charlotte was concerned that the girl might catch a cold. It made her feel bad for Becky that she had to suffer through a loss like that. 

 

“I need to talk to your dad and ask for permission to go back home.” Becky murmured, the thought suddenly occurring to the forward. 

 

“Honestly he already knows that you’ll need to go back. Let us worry about that, Bayley is working on booking you the first flight she can find. Do you want one of us to fly with you?” Charlotte asked, worried about leaving Becky by herself. 

 

Becky slowly shook her head. “No, this is something I need to do on my own. I just need a ride to the airport, I’ll take care of the rest.” 

 

Sasha gave Becky a hug, trying to warm the other girl up. “Well, you should try and get a few hours of sleep while you can.” 

 

“That’s a good idea,” Becky said with a yawn. She felt drained of energy already and the hard part hadn’t even really begun yet. She walked to her room, flopping down on the bed. “Wake me up when it’s time to go to the airport.” 

 

“We’ll do that,” Charlotte promised before looking to Sasha. “I feel so bad. She's been on fire this season and now to be dealt a personal blow like that, it just sucks”

 

Sasha nodded in agreement and walked over to where Bayley was finishing booking airline tickets. “Your dad isn’t going to care that one of his stars is leaving?”

 

“It’s a family emergency, he’s going to have to deal with it. He of all people should know how painful it is to lose somebody.” Charlotte pointed out. She was still angry with her father about trying to give her captaincy away and she knew she was going to be having words with him when Becky left. 

 

"Your dad doing what he did was crappy but he has a heart. I think he's going to let Becky spend as much time as she needs with her family." Bayley had her own issues with Charlotte's father, but she knew the man was at least capable of being decent. Sometimes his greed got the better of him, but when the chips were down, he was reliable. 

 

Charlotte snorted softly. "Let's just hope his good side wins out and not his ego." 

\----

A couple of hours later Charlotte, Bayley, Sasha and a couple of their teammates were standing right outside the TSA screening section. A lot of the team had shown up as moral support for Becky, wanting to see her off back to Ireland. 

 

"Your friends Nikki and Finn will be at the airport to pick you up and take you to your family. I called them for you, while you were sleeping." Charlotte said as she handed over Becky's flight information. 

 

Becky despite having gotten a nap in, looked completely exhausted and yet still thankful. "I appreciate the lot of you showing up. It means a lot to me." She said, giving them a nod of thanks. She turned to Charlotte and tugged the taller woman into a hug. "Thank you for looking out for me. I feel out of it right now, like everything is happening at warped speed and I don't know how to process." 

 

Charlotte wiped away one of Becky's stray tears and just hugged her tightly. "If you need us we're a call away, we'll jump on the first flight to Ireland." She promised. 

 

"We'd still Ric's private jet and fly there in a heartbeat," Bayley said, unable to help but join in on the hug. She wasn't the type to pass up a group-hug opportunity. 

 

"Don't let anybody mess with you on the flight there. I know it's a long one, so I put some extra songs on a playlist for you." Sasha said handing Becky the device. "You can save some of your phone battery." 

 

Becky felt oddly touched by everything her friends were doing for her. "Take care of Cat Damon for me." She said to Charlotte giving her hand a little squeeze. "I'll try not to miss too many games, but I need to go now." She said, backing towards the security checkpoint. 

 

Becky wasn't sure what she was going to be going home too. She was torn up about her grandpa's death and there was a piece of her that was scared that something might happen to her mom in the hospital before she could get there. She tried to draw emotional strength from the hug and gifts her friends had left her, she knew she was going to need to be able to lean on them in the next couple of days. Becky was also touched bu their thoughtfulness to call Nikki and Finn, seeing her best friends back home was going to help a lot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say thank you to everybody who has been sticking with me on this story, it means so much to me. Be sure to check out my other works, I have a lot of different projects I am working on. 
> 
> Shout out to my friends and squad who help me be the best writer I can be. They're awesome and I love them.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Becky arrives in Ireland in the aftermath of the accident that killed her father, while Charlotte confronts her father about giving away her armband.

Becky Lynch’s love affair with soccer had truly blossomed because of her grandfather. He had been the one to buy her the first soccer ball she owned. He had put her up on his shoulders so that they could watch the Irish National Team play. Soccer had been their special thing, and there was nobody who had been prouder of Becky’s abilities than him. Her grandfather had tried to make it to all of her National Team games, and she had given him one of her first game-worn jerseys. To hear that he was gone and no longer around had Becky feeling like her entire world had been shattered and tilted on its axis. 

 

The flight to Ireland she had hardly slept, simply going through the motions. She kept a hood on and dark sunglasses that she hoped would hide the circles under her eyes. Her mother probably would have scolded her for wearing sunglasses indoors. More than the loss of her grandfather she was worried about her mother too. Becky wasn’t sure if she could handle that much grief. If her Grandfather had been her superfan, Becky’s mom was the one who kept her humble. She never treated Becky any different and she always insisted that Becky treat everybody with the same respect. Despite her mother’s strict rules growing up, she never missed one of Becky’s games, not since she had first started playing. 

 

When Becky finally stumbled off the plane, she was ready to barter with whatever higher power she needed too, to make sure that her mom would be okay. Becky’s eyes were bloodshot behind her sunglasses, they were still burning from the number of tears she had cried. She didn’t even make it completely to baggage claim before she was tackled into a hug by Nikki Cross. 

 

Nikki buried her face into Becky’s shoulder and just held her, she had missed her so much. “I’m sorry Becky.” She whispered, knowing Becky would understand. 

 

Becky found that once she was in her friend’s arms, the tears no longer fell. She had been crying for so long she felt she was finally dry. She just hugged Nikki tightly, unsure of what to say in response.

 

Finn was almost instantly at her side as well, hugging both her and Nikki in a group hug. He didn’t say anything, just pressed a featherlight kiss to her temple, to signify that he was there for her.

 

The trio hugged for a moment longer and then Becky pulled away. She cleared her throat, trying to not sound as broken as she felt. “I need to go see my mom.” It took more strength to say those seven words than it usually took her to play a full ninety minutes on the pitch.

 

“Alright then lass, Nikki will show you to the car and I’ll grab your bags from the carousel,” Finn said squeezing her shoulder. 

 

Becky just gave a weak nod, though she kept a firm grip on Nikki’s wrist. If it was painful, Nikki didn’t complain, instead, she just led Becky to the parking garage. 

 

“How are you holding up?” Nikki asked, changing a glance at Becky who finally removed her sunglasses. 

 

“As well as I can be I guess. I can’t believe he’s gone, I had just gotten a text from him earlier that day wishing me luck on my game.” Becky replied, her voice trembling as she thought about it. 

 

She had planned to come back to Ireland a champion, but coming back for a reason like this, made her homecoming feel bleak. All she could think about what her family and how her mom was possibly dying. 

 

“Was there any update on my mom?” Becky asked she had tried to ignore the messages knowing they were mostly from well-meaning friends and fans. She appreciated their support, but Becky didn’t really feel like talking to any of them.

 

Nikki hesitated and then turned to look at her. “She’s still doing pretty bad, but last I heard they were hopefully optimistic.” 

 

Becky swallowed hard. “Yeah, well I need her to keep holding on. I can’t lose her too.” Becky said buckling up. She wasn't sure how much more grief and change she could actually handle before she cracked.

 

She fell back into silence once Finn got to the car, only pulling out her phone to shoot Charlotte a message. It had meant a lot to her that her friends back in the states had bought her the plane ticket. There was a piece of her that wished Charlotte had come along, knowing that somehow Charlotte being there would make everything a little less daunting.

 

\---

Back in the United States, Charlotte was still in a bit of a foul mood. She could feel her phone buzzing and quickly checked it. She realized it was Becky and replied to the message as fast as she could, knowing the girl needed her moral support. 

 

“Are you really texting right now?” Ric asked he had cleared his schedule because Charlotte had begged him to talk. He was slightly irritated that she was wasting his time when he was trying to get investors for their team. 

 

Cold eyes snapped up to meet his, challenging him in a way that made Ric squirm. Charlotte put her phone down and folded her arms over her chest. 

 

“I know what you did Daddy,” Charlotte said, the words loaded with a little bit of menace.

 

Ric rolled his eyes. “You’re going to need to be more specific, dear... I do a lot of things.” He sounded bored and somehow overly stressed still. 

 

Charlotte scoffed, gripping the armrest of her chair tight enough to make her knuckles white. “I really want to throttle you sometimes.” She took a pause, before deciding to cut to the chase. “I know you offered Becky the captain’s band.” 

 

“Did Becky tell you?” Ric hadn’t expected to be confronted like this, but he supposed he should have seen it coming. “It’s not personal Charlie, I have to do what is best for business.” 

 

“You were only offering her the band so she would be willing to date Seth. I heard you that day.” Charlotte said giving him a stern look. She was furious that he had been willing to sell her position on the team. “I worked hard for the captain’s band.” 

 

Ric slammed his hands down hard on his desk, his temper flaring dangerously. "I worked hard for this company, to keep this team afloat. This is a team sport and it requires a team effort. I don't need her to marry the guy, I need her to pretend to like him." 

 

Charlotte stared at him, her jaw-dropping. "You do realize how big of a tool he is right, he is my ex."

 

"Personal issues sometimes have to take a backseat, I need her not to be selfish. Have your friend play her part, it's not that difficult." Ric wasn't trying to be mean, but he needed Charlotte to understand where he was coming from. A marketable couple like Becky and Seth could bring in a lot of fresh eyes and attention to the club and league. "Princess everybody loves a feel-good story. Maybe we could publish an article about him comforting her when she gets back home to the states." 

 

A sound of disgust tore from Charlotte's throat. She couldn't believe her dad would stoop so low to use Becky's own grief as a marketing tool. "Do you even care that this is hurting me, that watching my best friend and my ex together hurts like hell?" Charlotte asked, her gaze searching. For so long she had tried to live up to Ric's expectations, she had tried to be the best in the league because she wanted to be worthy of being his daughter. 

 

Ric let out a heavy sigh. "Of course I care, but I can't always give you your way. I'm being extraordinarily nice to your friend, she got a great contract with bonuses, I even let her have time off during the season to go home."

 

Charlotte's eyes narrowed. "That doesn't make you a great guy, that makes you a decent human being. Her grandfather died and her mom isn't out of the woods. You showing a little bit of decency doesn't make you the owner of the year. I can't believe you." Charlotte remarked incredulously. Maybe it was all the stress that Ric was under, but she hardly recognized him. "If you need help getting sponsors then have the team help you, don't pimp us out just to make yourself feel better." Charlotte snapped icily, before making her way out of the office. Her phone was buzzing again and she frowned as she answered the call. 

 

"What's going on Bex, I'm right here," Charlotte whispered softly into the phone, trying to put as much distance between her and her father as she could. She listened to Becky on the other side of the phone and frowned. “Hold on, I’ll be there as soon as I possibly can.”

 

It took some coaxing, but Charlotte finally managed to get Becky off the phone. As soon as the Irish woman hung up, Charlotte called Bayley. 

“What is going on Char?” Bayley asked, bubbly as always, even over the phone. 

“I was wondering if you could book me a flight to Ireland. I’m about to drive home and pack a bag. It doesn’t matter what flight, just get me there Becky needs me.” Charlotte knew that Becky’s other friends were in Ireland with her, but it seemed like Becky did truly need her support. 

Bayley was silent for a moment, though the sound of keys clacking gave away that she was doing what Charlotte asked. “Alright, I’m booking you the flight. We have a game coming up, does your dad know?” 

“He’ll find out when I land.” Charlotte was pissed at her dad and maybe it was unprofessional but she wanted to get back at him.

“This might blow up in your face,” Bayley warned, hoping Charlotte had at least thought it through. "Might be some serious consequences or a breach of contract if you miss the game."

Charlotte just sighed in response. “Becky needs me, if my dad gets mad then he can fine me for it. I’m going to be there for her, screw him and the crappy policies. He said this is a team sport and I’m being there for my team member.” Charlotte said before hanging up the phone abruptly, her anger at her father still boiling under the surface. Maybe she was being impulsive but she simply couldn’t bring herself to care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to give a shout out to my writer friends, you guys mean so much to me. Thank you to everybody who is reading the stories I write, who leave comments and kudos. You guys are so awesome. 
> 
> Anyways I hope you're enjoying the story. Charlotte's gonna have hell to pay when she gets back from Ireland. But at least she'll be at Becky's side.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlotte gets to Ireland and Becky has to deal with everybody being in her face after the wreck.

“You look like what the cat dragged in and threw up. Are you sure you're really the great Charlotte Flair? You sure don't look genetically superior at the moment.”

Charlotte shot a glare at Becky, which caused the Irish soccer play to burst into laughter. Sure it was easy to say that Charlotte didn’t look her best, she had been flying on an airplane for far too long. She didn’t exactly appreciate her friend telling her she looked like garbage, but it was worth it to hear Becky laughed. 

 

“I am sorry,” Becky said although she didn’t sound all that sorry. She instead grabbed Charlotte’s bag and lead her to the car she had rented. “I really do appreciate you coming out here. The funeral is tomorrow, and I just don’t think I could do this alone. I know that I have Nikki and Finn but-”

 

Charlotte grabbed her friend’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “Hey, you don’t need to ever explain yourself. If it’s possible for me to come and help you, then you can bet that by your side is where I’ll be.” 

 

Becky gave her a grateful smile and cleared her throat. “They’re still not sure if my mom is out of the woods, but I am really hoping that she pulls through. Losing my grandpa was hard enough. He taught me everything about soccer.” Becky sighed and looked down at the ground. Even thinking about him in the past tense felt like a knife to the heart. 

 

Charlotte wasn’t a stranger to grief and she just bumped shoulders with Becky. “Well, you're not alone. If your mom is anything like you, then she is going to pull through.” Charlotte said, deciding to take an optimistic stance. “Also Sasha and Bayley send their regards.” 

 

“I am surprised Bayley isn’t hidden away in your luggage ready to jump out and hug me,” Becky said a smile tugging at the corner of her lips as she climbed into the car. 

 

“Oh, I am not convinced she isn’t. Bayley is a different breed of a friend, but we’re all lucky to have her.” Charlotte considered Bayley one of the paragons of true friendship. 

 

Becky waited until the blonde soccer star was in the car before she took off. "Do you want me to drive you to the house so you can sleep? I am sure you're tired after the long flight." 

 

"Where are you going? If you're going back to the hospital I can go with you." Charlotte wanted to be by her friend's side. She pulled a little plushie out of her purse. "I brought you something... Cat Damon." 

 

Becky started to laugh then, tears rolling down her cheeks. She hadn't really expected Charlotte to do that for her, it was something so small but it meant a lot to her. "I am glad you finally gave up on calling it Duchess." 

 

Charlotte rolled her eyes at that. "I am choosing my battles and this isn't one of them." She relaxed in her seat, she was feeling pretty tired. She ended up closing her eyes and falling asleep in the passenger seat. 

 

Charlotte woke up when Becky pulled into a driveway about thirty minutes later. "Where are we Bex?"

 

"My house or well my mom's house." Becky climbed out of the car and came around to help her friend in the house. "Care of the dogs, they won't hurt you but they may lick you to death."

 

"I don't mind dogs," Charlotte mumbled sleepily, she was leaning most of her weight on Becky, letting the Irish girl guide her into the house. She didn't even care that there were a couple of different dogs jumping on her. They were awfully cute but she was just too tired and jetlagged to care.

 

Becky led Charlotte to her room and nodded to the bed. "Go ahead and sleep. I have to make some calls, sleep as much as you want." She said watching with amusement as the taller woman just flopped down on the bed. Becky sighed and untied Charlotte's shoes, taking them off and then covering her friend up with a blanket.

 

Becky then called her dogs and they followed her to the kitchen. As good as it felt to see Charlotte again, it didn't completely distract Becky from the tasks that lay ahead of her. She needed to get back to the hospital to be with her mom and continue making funeral arrangements for her grandfather. 

 

She shot a text message to Nikki, wanting her other friend around in case Charlotte woke up scared or something. She knew that Nikki would be there for her.

\---

When Charlotte woke six hours later she found herself still in Becky's bed. The bed was super warm and far too comfortable to even think about getting out of. Before she even knew it she had ended up dozing again for another twenty minutes. Finally, she managed to get out of the bed and staggered to Becky's kitchen. Charlotte wasn't even sure her eyes were completely open.

 

"Lynch are you around?" Charlotte called, her voice thick with sleep. 

 

“Ay, she’s at the hospital with her mum.” Nikki Cross said looking up from where she was cooking on the stove. “You’d be surprised how much time she’s been spending there. She’d forget to eat if I didn’t make her something.” 

 

Charlotte sighed softly and moved to sit near the counter. She was still concerned about her friend. “I wish I knew how to help her.” 

 

“You being here helps, I think having people to just listen is what she needs.” Nikki scrapped the pancake she was making onto a plate and slid it towards Charlotte. “Ya need to keep your strength up to blondie.” 

 

“Had you met her grandfather?” Charlotte asked, wanting to get the information from Nikki instead of having to ask Becky and bring up sad memories. 

 

Nikki nodded and returned to her cooking. “Yeah, he came to a lot of our Olympique Lyonnais games. He was her biggest fan.” Nikki explained, not wanting to go into too many details. “How is she doing overseas, is she coping well?”

 

“I think so, I’m trying to spend as much time as I can. The rest of the North Carolina Courage loves her.” Charlotte’s thoughts drifted to her father and she sighed. “My father wants her to agree to fake a relationship with Rollins.”

 

“Your ex-boyfriend Rollins?” Nikki frowned at that. She had originally thought that Seth was a good guy, but after the stunt, he had pulled at the Olympics she wasn’t so sure. “That sounds messy and more than a little complicated for everybody involved.” 

 

“It doesn’t feel good and the only reason my dad is doing it is that he wants sponsors for the league.” Charlotte shook her head in disgust. It hurt her that her dad was willing to sell out his players like that. However, she had realized her reasons for being angry in the first place were a bit selfish. Becky was going through a lot and Charlotte’s righteous anger about the Seth thing had been misplaced. 

 

Nikki studied Charlotte closely for a moment. “I don’t think Becky should be subjected to being a pawn in your family’s war.” She held up a hand when Charlotte tried to interrupt her. “Becky needs your friendship, the drama back home can wait. Be her friend, be there for her.” 

 

“That I can do,” Charlotte said giving a smile, as she began to eat her pancakes. She wanted to be the supportive friend that Becky deserved and needed. “Do you think after the funeral and everything Becky will want to stay here in Ireland?”

 

Nikk had thought about that, she knew that Becky had a contract over in the United States, but with everything going on she wasn’t sure where Becky’s head was at. She chewed at her bottom lip before fixing Charlotte with a pointed look. “If she wants to stay in Ireland then we support her. Her mom may need help. If she wants to go back to the United States, then support her in that. Just I guess give her time to process everything.” 

 

Charlotte just nodded in agreement. “Well, she can have all the time she needs. I am not going anywhere.”

\----

Becky wanted to throw her phone across the hospital room. Everybody and their mother kept sending her messages and well wishes. She couldn’t even use any of her social apps without being flooded by the condolences for her grandfather. Teammates and old coaches alike had reached out to her, and while she appreciated the support it was starting to overwhelm her. 

 

Her phone buzzed with yet another notification except this time, the message made her pause. It was from Seth and while she still didn’t want to talk to him, she found herself going through the message anyways. 

**  
‘Hey, Bex,**

**I heard about the accident and I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I know that those kinds of things are rough, and I’m sure you’re sick of hearing people say that they’re sorry for your loss. I hope you’re at least doing somewhat ok. I’m here if you need a friend**

**-Seth’**

 

Becky stared at the message, her hands shaking. She wanted to tell him to leave her alone, but there was a piece of her that longed to message him back. She wished to talk to him about the fun times they had back at the Olympics before he had screwed up so badly. 

 

“You look worse than me.” Becky’s mom croaked weakly from her hospital bed. Her voice was weak from not using it, but hearing her mom talk was still a miracle to Becky. Her mom had finally woken up from her coma before Becky had gotten to the hospital, but due to the meds, she kept drifting in and out of being awake. 

 

Becky felt tears pooling and she quickly tried to blink them away. “I used that same line on Charlie earlier.” She said chuckling. She moved to her mom’s side and pressed her forehead to her mom’s hand. “I thought I lost you.” 

 

“No such luck kiddo. You’re stuck with me for a bit longer.” Becky’s mom seemed to notice how broken her daughter looked and ran a hand through her hair. “What’s wrong Rebecca?”

 

“I don’t know how to do this without him.” Becky knew that someday her grandfather would be gone, but the idea that it had happened so suddenly without warning had shocked her to her core. “I spent the last couple hours on the phone with the funeral places. I...I don’t like having to make these kinds of decisions.” 

 

“It’s okay to be sad Bex, but you can’t let this derail your career. He’d come back and haunt you.” Becky’s mom seemed to be fading back to sleep again. Her words were slower but she struggling to stay away so that they could finish their talk. 

 

Becky sighed and leaned into her mom’s touch, before realizing her mom was falling asleep. ‘I’ll keep handling it. Just get some rest.” She told the older woman. She tucked her mom in and grabbed her phone, walking out of the room. 

 

Becky didn’t want to keep waking her up, nor did she want to have a breakdown in front of her. She checked her phone again as it buzzed, but this time a small smile came to her face. It was a picture from Bayley of her and the rest of the Courage. 

 

The whole team was wearing red armbands that read ‘mama lynch’ and they were standing in front of a scoreboard that showed them with a win of 4 goals to zero. Even though she didn’t really want to talk to anybody, she retweeted the pictures and tagged it with two hearts. It meant a whole lot to her that her teammates cared enough to do that for her.

 

Becky wasn’t quite sure what the future was going to hold for her and her family or how she was going to bounce back. Still, there was a piece of her that knew she’d be able to too when she had friends like Nikki, Charlotte, Finn and the rest of her teammates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoy this story, be sure to check out all my other works. Thank you for all the kudos, comments, views and subscriptions. You all inspire me to write more and I love to know what parts of the story make you the happiest and what characters you like the best.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Becky is still dealing with the death of her grandfather, and Charlotte is doing her best to hold down the fort.

To say that Becky was a mess after her grandfather's funeral was an understatement, but even more than that it took away the one thing that had been distracting her from the reality of her situation. She was going to have to deal with the whole Ric offering her the armband deal. She had done her best to deal with it all on her own, but it was starting to weigh on her. Just the emotional weight of everything was starting to get her down. 

 

That was why when Finn suggested that they all go to an ax-throwing place and work off some of their excess energy. Becky had agreed to that and of course brought Charlotte, Nikki, and Sheamus along. She wanted to spend time with her friends before she had to go back stateside. 

 

"I haven't been to one of these places in a long time," Becky said, forcing a smile. She appreciated what Finn and her friends were trying to do, but she still felt raw and overexposed. She didn't like to be this vulnerable around people even if they were her friends and people that she cared about. 

 

Charlotte looked around at the different things and nodded her approval. "I've never been to this sort of place. I didn't even know that ax-throwing for fun was a thing." Charlotte was interested in trying it. She was fairly competitive and she had played a lot of sports, so trying something new was exciting for her. 

 

"You'd be surprised what passes for entertainment around these parts," Finn said, unable to help but laugh. 

 

"Do you guys remember playing kick the can when you were younger?" Sheamus asked, only to be greeted with nothing by blank stares. 

 

"Your age is showing again Sheamy." Becky teased, sticking her tongue out at him. It felt nice to joke around even if only for a little bit.

 

Charlotte cracked a grin. "It's okay Sheamus, you're like a fine wine, you get better with age." She said, trying to make him feel a little bit better. She picked up an ax and tested the weight of it. "how does one even throw one of these things."

 

"It's like darts, you just try and get the ax to stay within the rings," Nikki explained, moving to help Charlotte get in the right position to aim and throw the weapon. "Since it's your first time, I'd say you probably want to use both hands." 

 

"Nikki's right, you want to use both of your hands. I don't think any of us want to take an ax to the face." Finn said, watching as Charlotte took the ax in both of her hands and threw it. "Well look at that, right dead center. You sure you haven't done this before?" 

 

Charlotte blushed a little bit. "Beginner's luck I guess." Kind of embarrassed that she had actually succeeded on her first try. She was normally competitive, but the way Becky's friends were staring made her a bit uncomfortable. 

 

"It's the luck of the Irish lass," Becky said wiggling her eyebrows playfully. 

 

"We're your lucky charms," Sheamus added, chuckling in amusement. 

 

Charlotte rolled her eyes and then laughed. “Oh, I am sure that is exactly what it is.” She said, before tilting her head to the side, wondering if she could actually do it again. 

 

“So Becky have you thought about if you want to stay here in Ireland or if you want to go back to the states?” Sheamus asked, cutting straight to the chase. He had never been good about beating around the bush. 

 

Becky seemed to deflate a little bit. “I have a contract with the North Carolina Courage. I have to be there.” She said, glancing over at Charlotte and then picking up one of the axes to take her turn. 

 

“Are you worried about your mom?” Charlotte asked quietly. She didn’t want Becky to move back to Ireland but she knew she had to support her best friend and teammate in whatever the girl chose to do. Since they had become friends, Charlotte had grown to appreciate the fire inside of Becky. They had been two sides of the same coin, but now instead of resenting that Charlotte actually valued it, Becky helped bring out the best in her on and off the pitch.

 

“I am worried about her, I mean I’m sure she’ll be fine, it’s just hard being away from her when she’s going through so much,” Becky explained. She didn’t want to take advantage of the Flair’s kindness, but there was a piece of her that just wanted to stay close to her mom and help her out. 

 

“That’s totally understandable and you don’t have to make a decision right away. Why don’t you just focus on being there for your mom and the rest will figure itself out.” Charlotte said, watching as Becky threw the ax. She could tell the red-head was stressed out and felt like she owed it to her to try and get Becky’s mind off of it. 

 

“Enough sad talk ladies, all that dreadful issues will keep until tomorrow. How about we get some drinks and we just focus on throwing the blades,” Nikki suggested, giving Becky a meaningful look. 

 

Becky let out a low laugh and nodded slowly. “I could use a drink, I think after today we all could.” 

 

“Alright, the first round is on me. Don’t drink me broke though.” Charlotte said giving them all playful warning looks. 

 

Finn chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. "You're drinking with three Irish folks, you might grow broke sooner than ya think love." Finn drawled, winking at her.

\-----

-Four weeks later-

Charlotte was sweaty and exhausted and yet despite the stitch in her side, she was feeling more alive now than she had in a while. She had gotten back to the United States three weeks prior, reluctantly leaving Becky's side. Charlotte had done her best to be there for the Irish captain but there were some things that the other soccer player had to figure out on her own. Charlotte of course still did her best to keep in contact, texting her multiple times a day, while also trying to keep Ric off of Becky's back. 

 

It hadn't been an easy feat by any means, but Charlotte had started doing more promotional work, doing clinics when she wasn't training, anything she could to bring eyes to the league. Charlotte wanted the North Carolina Courage to flourish, she wanted them to be successful.

 

Which was she had decided to put the team on her back and make sure they made the playoffs. The Courage has the most NWSL championship trophies at five, but Charlotte was looking to add lucky number six to the case. Charlotte wasn't sure if and when Becky would be back, so she did her best not to let that steal her focus. 

 

They had just completed a hard-fought game, where they narrowly beat the Portland Thorns one of their biggest rivals. Truth be told Charlotte was just glad she had survived the game without an injury, she had almost tweaked her knee with a rough challenge from one of the Portland players. 

 

She could see her dad staring at her from the sidelines and made her way over. "We won," Charlotte said proudly, a small piece of her desperate for his approval, even after all the years that had gone by.

 

Ric nodded and patted her shoulder. "You did great Charlie, I'm proud of you." He replied, even rewarding her with a smile.

 

Charlotte seemed to light up at the praise but deflated a second later when she saw Seth in the stands. "What is he doing here dad? Did you invite him here?" 

 

"Actually I did sweetie. He's here for promotional stuff, don't get your shorts all in a twist," Ric said, lightly squeezing her shoulder to try and get her to calm down. "Look with Becky gone dealing with personal issues, and you picking up the slack I realize that you need some help." 

 

Charlotte scowled, clearly not amused by seeing Seth again or the fact that he was now waving at her. "I don't want any help. Becky will be back soon enough and we'll lead the team to another championship. That will bring eyes to the team. We don't need faked relationships, we need a team that is hungry for the gold." Charlotte said, putting her foot down. 

 

Ric sighed and ran a hand through his hair, tugging at it in frustration. "You're so stubborn." 

 

"I wonder who I learned it from," Charlotte muttered, moving past him and to the women's locker room so she could shower and change. She didn't know what her father was up too, but she didn't trust it. Becky had mentioned in passing that Seth had texted her, the Irish woman not wanting Charlotte to find out from somebody else, but Charlotte still didn't trust Seth. 

 

As she made her way into the locker room, she was surprised to see it was mostly empty already. However as she made her way in, a familiar face was waiting for her. 

 

"Hey, I think we need to talk. It has been a little bit"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while, I kind of lost my way with this story but I'm keeping at it. Who doesn't love a cliff-hanger though?


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Becky is struggling and Charlotte isn't sure how to help.

Charlotte wasn’t quite sure if her eyes were deceiving her or if Becky Lynch was actually standing in front of her. The Irish Captain looked as though she had fought through hell and had barely managed to get out the other side. Becky looked skinnier somehow and more deflated like all the joy had been sucked out of her. There were dark circles under her eyes, a testament to her lack of sleep. 

 

“Earth to Charlotte. I said I think we need to talk.” Becky said, waving her hand in front of the tall blonde striker’s face. Becky didn’t care much for being ignored and her lack of sleep made her a little irritable with her friend. 

 

“Sorry, sorry. I’m just surprised to see you here is all, why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” Charlotte questioned, wondering why Becky hadn’t mentioned it. “I could have picked you up at the airport or the team could have arranged a ride for you…”

 

Becky waved her off and shifted uncomfortably. “Why ruin a good surprise?” She asked, attempting a joke that very quickly fell flat. “It was a last-minute decision, pretty spur of the moment. I just can’t stay in Ireland anymore.” 

 

“Is your mom okay?” Charlotte asked, automatically assuming the worst. The last she had heard was that Becky’s mom was expected to make a decent recovery. 

 

Again Becky waved her off. “She’s doing as well as she can be. I think she was getting tired of me crowding her. I needed to be back where I was needed.” 

 

“You came back just for soccer or for something else?” Charlotte wasn’t sure what to make of Becky’s arrival.

 

Becky sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. “Your dad sent me an email, he said the team needed me. You can’t really leave your boss on read without repercussion. I’m a professional athlete Charlie, it’s time to grow the heck up and play ball.” 

 

Charlotte frowned at Becky’s words, they didn’t sound like the friend that she knew. “Are you sure you are okay? You seem...off?”

 

Becky hesitated, a range of emotions flickering over her features before she schooled her expression into a neutral one. “I am here to make sure we win a trophy. I need to focus on something else.” 

 

“Have you eaten recently? The game is over but maybe we could grab the team and go grab a meal.” Charlotte offered. She knew that Bayley and Sasha would no doubt want to see Becky, they had been missing her a lot, almost as much as Charlotte. 

 

“It’s been a few hours, I could eat. Go ahead and call them, I’ll meet you in the parking lot.” Becky said, forcing a smile before she exited the locker room. 

\----

“I almost didn’t believe Charlotte when she said that she saw you in the locker room tonight,” Sasha commented, waiting her turn to hug Becky. 

 

Half of the team had shown up to go to dinner with Becky. They were all excited that she was back and wanted to catch up with one of their star strikers. In the short few months that Becky had been a part of the team, she had built a close bond with a lot of them. The younger players looked up to her and the older players respected her for her contributions to the sport. 

 

Becky managed a tired smile and shrugged. “Yeah, she wasn’t really expecting me. I guess I got to surprise all of you.” 

 

Sasha gave Becky a light hug and then stepped back. “Are you okay?”

 

Becky stiffened at the question. She was getting tired of everybody asking her that question. “I am doing as well as I can be, don’t worry about it.” 

 

Sasha wasn’t the type of woman to let that kind of thing go, but a pleading look from Charlotte had Sasha holding her tongue. “Well, I know the team missed you. We’ve been doing okay but we could use your firepower.” Sasha said, changing the subject. 

 

“You all need the luck of the Irish.” Becky beamed at them, glad that they were finally changing the subject. “I am back and I’m ready to help lead us to the championships. The other teams won’t know what hit them.” 

 

Charlotte snorted softly. “That’s right, we’re going to kick some major butt this year. We will have to not lose any other games, but I think we can make it to the top of the table.” She knew there was something bothering Becky, but she didn’t want to push the other striker to talk about it until she was ready. “I’ll go get us a round of drinks to celebrate.”

 

“Thanks, Charlie,” Becky said, giving her a nod of appreciation. 

 

“I’ll help you.” Bayley offered, following Charlotte to the bar. She too was concerned about Becky but wasn't sure how to vocalize those concerns.

 

Charlotte nodded and focused on ordering the drinks for the table, before stealing a glance at Bayley. “Did you really come over here to help me, or did you have something to say. I’ve known you for a long time, Bayley, you got the look in your eye.” 

 

Bayley shrugged her shoulders and sat down on one of the empty barstools. “I always want to help, but I did come over here to check on you.” 

 

“Check on me?” Charlotte repeated the words back to her, looking confused. It wasn’t like she was the one who lost her grandfather and had randomly taken a flight back home. “Why are you checking on me and not on Becky? She's the one who lost somebody and is grieving” 

 

“Because I worry about you as much as I worry about our Irish friend over there. I may have witnessed you arguing with your dad after the game. What was it about?” Bayley asked quietly. She had also witnessed Seth in the stands and she knew how badly Charlotte’s ex got under the captain’s skin. She hadn’t forgotten the crazed reaction at the beginning of the Olympics either. 

 

Charlotte took a seat, her legs suddenly feeling as though they would give out on her. “My dad was just being his usual self and pitching the idea of me teaming up with Seth. I guess I just figured I was doing a better job of hiding how it was affecting me. There is a piece of me that just wants to do what is best for business and the club. On the same hand, though I don’t want to get back with Seth, I know Becky may still have feelings for him. I can’t do that to her.”

 

Bayley gave her a sympathetic smile. “Are you worried that Seth might take advantage of her grief?” 

 

“He can be a good guy, I wouldn’t have dated him if he wasn’t. He just doesn’t always know how to be solar focused and supportive. Becky deserved to have somebody focused on her and putting her best interests at the forefront.” Charlotte wasn’t sure when she had gotten so protective of Becky, but she didn’t want to see her best friend get hurt. She had witnessed first hand the grief that Becky had gone through, and Charlotte didn’t want anybody taking advantage of her friend.

 

“Becky is a grown-up, you have to let her make those choices for herself though. You can’t handle her with kiddie gloves all the time.” Bayley warned. She was worried about Becky too, but she wasn’t naive enough to think that Becky would appreciate everybody coddling her. Bayley herself wanted to try and comfort Becky but she wasn't sure how that would play out.

 

Charlotte let out a heavy sigh because deep down she knew Bayley was right. She couldn’t protect Becky from the heartbreak that could come from with Seth, but she could be there in case the other soccer player broke Becky’s heart. 

“She deserves the best…” Charlotte trailed off, noticing Becky walking in their direction. 

 

“Do you two need help carrying the drinks?” Becky asked, desperate to get away from the conversations at the table. They kept asking her about her mom and Becky really didn’t feel like talking about it. Her other teammates meant well, but they were starting to tick her off. 

 

“I got it,” Charlotte said, grabbing the drinks and carrying them back to the table before either Bayley or Becky could help her. 

 

Becky sighed and ran a hand over her face in frustration. She slumped down on the barstool, doing her best to keep her emotions under control. But it felt as though there was a storm brewing inside of her, making her feel as though she was going to explode at any moment. She didn't want to cry in front of her teammates but she could feel the tears starting to pool. A shuddering breath escaped her and she just laid her head down on the bartop.

 

Bayley took the stool next to her and didn’t say anything, instead she just gently rubbed Becky’s back in soothing circles. She could tell something was bothering Becky, but that the striker wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. 

 

A long silence passed before Becky lifted shifted her attention to Bayley. “Can you tell Charlotte and the girls I wasn’t feeling well? I think I’d like to go home now. I am not feeling much like interacting. Maybe I’m just jetlagged.” 

 

“Do you want me to give you a ride?” Bayley asked quietly not wanting to call attention to the fact that Becky was starting to cry.

 

“I can just call an uber.” Becky protested in a sniffle, not wanting to put Bayley in a weird position. 

 

Bayley shook her head. “Please let me drive you home. We don’t even have to talk, we can listen to music. I just want to make sure you get to the apartment safely.” 

 

Becky relented and nodded. “I’ll meet you in the car.” She said, before getting up and leaving. There was an apparent sadness in her eyes, that tugged painfully at Bayley’s heart. 

 

Watching Becky head for the exit, Bayley made her way over to Charlotte. She quickly explained the situation to her captain, noting that Charlotte seemed a little heart about Becky going home with Bayley instead of with her. 

 

“Don’t overthink it Charlotte. I think Becky just needs some sleep, but I’ll let you know if it’s something more important.” Bayley promised, before leaving. She found Becky standing outside the car, looking like a lost and lonely puppy. “Come on Bex, let’s get you home.”

 

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me Bayley, I feel empty inside,” Becky mumbled as she got in the car. She was feeling a lot of complicated feelings and the swell of grief had risen up inside of her again. 

 

Bayley just held out a hand towards her and gave a small smile. “Well, I am here if you need me.” She wasn't going to pressure Becky into sharing her feelings unless the girl wanted too. 

 

Becky took a hold of her friend’s hand, grateful for the lifeline. “I don’t really want to talk about it, or how to explain it. Can we listen to music?” 

 

“Of course,” Bayley responded, turning on the radio for Becky. 

 

The storm inside of Becky seemed to calm a little bit, but the Irish captain still felt uncertain. She had a feeling something bad was still going to happen, she just hoped she’d be ready for it.


End file.
